old words, same meaning

Give us this day our daily bread... I needed a reminder of these words...

We recently finished a sermon series on the Lord's Prayer in our church. Even though I've heard and said those words countless number of times during my life they took on new meaning the past few months.

One particular phrase persists in staying at the forefront of my mind: Give us this day our daily bread.

The word bread is important, my pastor said. Jesus was teaching us to pray for what we needed for life, for living, for this day.

Jesus wasn't teaching us, Give us this day our daily dessert.

Food is a big deal in our house these days as Anneka is learning to eat and appreciate solids. She loves sweet potatoes and beans; peas are definitely not her favourite. Homemade applesauce from Grandma is also a big hit. Cheerios give her a chance to relieve some teething pain by chomping on something hard and also practice that important hand-eye coordination... Her gastronomic adventures are just beginning.

The other day my Dad told us about a conversation he had with a man who had traveled to Costa Rica... he spoke about a man whose house consisted of poles in the ground with bits of tin attached on top like an awning and people who were thankful for one meal a day...

I face Anneka as she sits in her high chair, little mouth open wide for food like a baby bird's. As I try to feed her as cleanly as possible (she is learning how to eat, but I, as first-time mom, am also learning how to feed her) I realise how blessed we are. Meals are not gourmet at our house, but we never have to worry where our next meal will come from. Our house is not as fancy or as done-up or as colour-coordinated as we might like and our furniture might be just on the good side of shabby, but we don't have to worry about the cold and the rain...

It is hard not to be swept up in the rush for that perfect pillow or paint chip... or to think how much better our house will look if we could afford to put new carpet in or if I could just get those fabulous candles... So much importance is put on things and appearances that don't mean anything.

As Anneka finishes her food and smiles up at me with a carrot-coloured grin I know that God not only cares for me and gives me and my loved ones what we need for each and every day, He is also feasting me with dessert...

originally posted in March 2008 here