Packing Lunches

For me it is the sign that September has arrived.  It is the daily ritual of packing lunches for the children in my home.  A meal made often of a white bread and turkey sandwich, fruit, a home-made cookie and some juice.  Nothing fancy here.  This morning as I consider the loaf of bread - fresh and soft in the middle, chewy and golden on the crust - I can't help but think of how I long for these lunches I prepare to offer my children more than just a few needed calories. 

Jesus said "I am the Bread of Life." 

I wonder what that means.  Bread is familiar.  Bread is comfort food.  Bread is best enjoyed fresh.  Bread is the foundation for many meals. 

God is glorious and extravagant and huge and amazing, thats true.  But Jesus is reminding me today that He is also a God who chooses to be known.  He is the God of all comfort.  He is longing for continual, daily connection with each of us.  He is the foundation upon which my life is grown.  He is as delightful and as bountiful as a simple loaf of bread.

As I place the sandwich into its Tupperware container, I utter a quiet prayer... "Jesus, be the Bread of Life for my children today."  Perhaps this lunch is more than food, afterall.