Most times, I'm ashamed to admit, the words fell off my tongue; tasteless and one-dimensional with barely a digestible thought.
But I haven't been speaking the words, I have only been reciting them. I haven't tasted the words, I've only seen them. I hadn't thought about the words, I simply said them.
These simple words "give us this day our daily bread" mean more than simply surviving. Where I have only understood the bread to mean literal food and sustenance that God will provide, I am finally beginning to understand the breadth of this statement, and the words Jesus spoke later: "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
What I have discovered is this - my soul has been starving. I have not been feeding my soul its daily bread. God has been presenting me this soul-saving bread every day, wrapped in a moment created just for my soul to feast on, but I have been too bloated with distractions to notice.
But God is patient. His mouth breathes life into my soul, resuscitating it from the paralysis of indifference. The aroma of God's bread is powerful, sweet and nurturing. God's homemade soul food comes ready to eat and without the need for preservatives. I don't have to store it away for later, as this is the only food that never runs out.
Lately God has been super-sizing my portions, like my mom used to do when I was going through my growth spurts. I am ready for seconds and thirds and somedays, fourths. I can feel God smiling on me, pouring His spirit into my emptiness.
This past week has been weary, but like chicken soup, God has been serving remedies to strengthen me, from the inside out. The menu has included:
...my daughter reading her favourite book to me while I was getting ready for work. I greedily ate up every word that her perfect little voice formed, right down to the soft "l" lisps that passed through her lips.
...my husband speaking my love language to me. His actions fill me with grace.
...my son asking me to rub his back so he can fall asleep. The reminder that I am needed has such a restorative power.
...quiet, candlelit moments. Even if it means sending the kids upstairs to watch tv so my husband and I can dine on take-out Chinese food.
Thank you for this daily bread.
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