Tag: daily spiritual food

My dad had a favorite phrase that he usually spoke while reaching for a second cookie. He would often say, “A little health food is fine, but I want to be in bad shape when I die.” Even as I type those words I am smiling. I kind of enjoyed his philosophy of life.

My dad had some health issues as a young man that shaped his way of thinking. He lived life with a unique focus as a result of almost losing his life in his thirties. He worked hard, served his church, fished as often as he could, and retired from IBM in his early fifties. He and Mom had enjoyed a long retirement season, even though he passed away in his seventies.

Jim and I, along with many of our friends, are in what I like to call the “daily bread season of life.” While we ourselves are aging, we are also caring for an elderly loved one. These days provide a new focus and perspective on daily life.

God’s word has some good advice for this season. Some days may feel like a big bowl of kale, but if God has provided or allowed these days, we want to consume what he has given.

Why is manna a lot like kale?

I’ve often wondered what manna tasted like, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t great. Manna was the daily food God provided to the people Moses had helped escape slavery in Egypt. They crossed the sea on dry land and then wandered toward and around the promised land for many years.

They were scared and hungry, so God provided for their daily needs. He gave them manna, bread from heaven, and quail to eat on their journey. Each morning the people were told to gather the manna, but only what they would consume that day. Manna spoiled quickly and was only edible for one day. Pretty soon, the people were grumbling about the manna. It kept them alive and was probably the first “superfood,” but the daily diet of manna was not enjoyable.

That’s why I think manna is a lot like kale. Manna was healthy, and it was just what the people needed for that day. While we know kale is good for us, it’s difficult to want to consume it each day. There is a reason kale is rarely seen at a church potluck dinner!

Spiritual food often isn’t our first choice at the buffet either.

I’ve not blogged for a month and what a month it was! Trump survived an assassination attempt. One week Biden was a candidate and the next week, he wasn’t. Bombs have continued to fly throughout the world, literally and verbally. The Olympics began with a celebration of all things in this world, including the perverse things France wanted the world to celebrate.

Meanwhile, my daily life remained virtually the same. I’ve told several friends that I am peacefully living in what I refer to as my “daily bread” season of life. I’m caring for my mom, and almost every week, there is something new to process and work through. I can make plans for the weeks ahead, but each time I make a plan, I must tell others I might have to change these plans at the last minute. 

This season of life has been an adjustment but a good one. I’m learning to be grateful for my daily bread, even when I wouldn’t have chosen the circumstances from the “buffet” of life’s possibilities.

Why should we pray for daily bread?

Jesus taught his disciples to pray saying, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). His disciples were Jewish people who would have instantly understood his reference to the manna from heaven that God provided to their ancestors. Jesus was teaching his disciples that they needed to pray for and trust God to provide them with all they needed for that day. 

I wish Jesus had taught his disciples to say, “Give us this day a five-year plan and the will to walk in it.” I struggle at times to enjoy the manna I’m supposed to eat each day. I’d rather have the buffet line with multiple choices and endless flavors. Even as I write those words, I realize it’s my mom whose life consists of daily bread far more than my own. 

Sometimes I spend time with her and realize I’m likely seeing my own future. Aging is inevitable if we are lucky to age well. I’ve often thought that spending these weeks with my mom is a blessing of perspective on my life today. I need to learn to enjoy the daily bread, the spiritual food God provides today, to prepare for the days when life becomes increasingly limited to that daily bread.

Why choose the manna today?

I can honestly say that if a casserole of kale was offered at the potluck dinner, I would slide my plate right past that dish. I’m not a huge fan. Like my dad, I’m okay with being in bad shape when I die. I want to enjoy this life God has blessed me with as much as possible, and kale just doesn’t seem like a blessing on my plate.

On the other hand, I do want to learn to include manna in my daily diet. Manna is the food that God has provided. Manna is God’s gift of spiritual nourishment. Jesus reminded us that today’s bread won’t provide what we need tomorrow. We can’t save it so we need to ask God for it every day.

I was at a sweet funeral last weekend. A friend’s mom had passed away. The preacher spoke of her well-lived life and told us that as a young woman, she had decided to choose to be happy each day. Her life was very much a product of that daily choice.

Speaking as an older preacher’s wife, I can promise you that every life has some difficult moments. No one is immune from the hardships this world can give. As Christians we are called to choose faith in God for those moments and trust his provision. If he has allowed us to walk the journey, he has promised to bless it with daily bread.

The challenge will be choosing the manna from the buffet of other options that the world provides. 

Joshua said, “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Manna is a daily choice we need to make for the sake of our healthy soul. Thankfully, kale is not!

If you find yourself in a “daily bread” season of life, embrace all that God wants to provide for you during this time. Most of life is like that buffet and full of rich blessings. We can remember that manna made the deserts possible for our spiritual ancestors and it is still true for our desert times today. God knows what we need and provides our manna for each day. 

What will you choose to consume this day? Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will choose the Lord” (Joshua 14:15).