Feeding Time

I dread mealtimes at our house.  I seriously do.  Why?  Because I have picky eaters.  Not only do I have picky eaters, I have extremely slow eaters who often keep bites of food in their mouth for a half hour or more, often taking an hour to eat just a small bowl of cereal. . .  Mealtimes are not fun.  The two older girls are often fussing and crying about what I cooked.  "I don't want that!"  "I don't like that!"  "I want x instead."  And I sound like a broken record strongly encouraging (AKA often yelling at) them to eat and eat relatively quickly so we can get out the door.   To hear them and witness their behavior during mealtime you would think I was torturing them with food (unless it's chicken nuggets and french fries from McDonalds).  We usually set a timer and will take away food when time's up.  The problem is that my oldest has issues with low blood sugar.  So if she doesn't eat, her behavior can be awful.  She gets headaches, is cranky, irritable, and more impulsive.   I have friends whose kids eat fabulously and I keep wondering why mine are such awful eaters.  Why can't they just learn that they need food to grow and to feel good?   Why does it always have to be a struggle and why, oh why, can't they learn to do what is good for them?  And it dawned on me one day that we are like that with spiritual food, aren't we?  We often don't know what is good for us and we fight against spiritual sustenance.  We often choose to do anything but read the Bible; anything but pray; anything but go to church and do bible study; anything except spending time with the Lord. 

The baby has been wanting to nurse more frequently this past week and I think she must be going through a growth spurt.  As I was complaining about how often I was nursing -- which was as frequent as every hour -- I kept being reminded of the scripture verse, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty (John 6:35)."  This is an invitation from Jesus to feed on him (John 6:57).  This means to come to him, give our life into his hands, and to trust and believe in him.  He wants us to meditate on him and His Word day and night (Joshua 1:8).  He is the source of true spiritual food that will satisfy our hunger.  He is the living water (John 4:10) that will completely quench our thirst.  He will sustain us each and everyday and we will grow and reflect fruits of the spirit.

Unfortunately, just like my picky children fill up their stomachs with empty calories from snacks, I often fill up my plate and time with useless stuff such as Facebook or tv.  I often forget to fill up with what is really good for me such as time in the Word and personal prayer.  Just like my children who become irritable when their blood sugar drops, so too I get irritable, cranky, weak, and weary when I have not had my fill of spiritual food.  It's hard to get long stretches of uninterupted time with three kids.  I barely even have time to talk to the husband and my writing is often done in pieces, a little here and a little there, during moments when kids are playing nicely or napping.  The baby's constant need to nurse reminds me that I need to be doing the same with my spiritual life.  Frequency actually amounts to a lot of quantity.  I am trying to use the times when I am feeding the baby or rocking her to sleep to pray and to mediate on His word.  I have found that my days always go much better when I am able to fill my plate with his Word, his promises for my life and my family, and spend time with Him, however brief it may be.  I am not perfect and I often forgetful to do this.  On those days I feel more drained and exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally.  I challenge myself and you to try and find a few moments each day to spend with the Lord, whether it be in prayer, in silence, or reading scriptures.  You will find it makes a big difference.