Today’s scripture: John 6:28-40 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Melody Merida):
I have a confession to make: When I was a toddler, I liked nothing more than to eat the delicacies that took up residence in my nostrils. Yes, in hindsight it is disgusting and nearly causes dry heaves, but when I was four years old I thought there was nothing better. In fact, I loved to eat boogers so much that my parents concocted a plan to rid me of the habit once and for all.
One spring evening my mother called my family of six to the dinner table. When I come into the room I saw that there were table settings for every member of my family, but none for me. I asked about my plate and my father informed me that my dinner plate would be his handkerchief. He went on to say, “Since you love to eat boogers so much I thought I would just pass around my hanky and let all five of us fill up the hanky with our boogers for your dinner.” With that announcement he blew his nose rather loudly, and then passed the hanky to my oldest brother who thought this was the best day of his life! I immediately began to cry at the thought of eating a hanky full of my family’s boogers; this was not your average, every day, run-of-the-mill crying. I was wailing at the thought of what awaited me. Fortunately, my dad’s hanky didn’t make it past my brother before my dad knew that I had gotten the point.
When I was still whimpering about the event hours later to my mother, she told me that we are what we eat. She said that boogers are disgusting and I did not want to be the girl forever labeled as disgusting because I ate boogers (although I am aware this Be Still may forever change my reputation). What my four year old mind couldn’t comprehend was that it matters what you put into your body. Maybe that’s why Jesus chose to use food as an illustration for the way God sustains us.
Jesus offers bread of life which, if eaten, will nourish our souls so that we never hunger again. It matters what we take in, both physically and spiritually.
What the people who listened to Jesus that day in Capernaum did not understand was that Jesus was not talking about literally eating him as bread. Often I think we don’t get it either. We muddle through without really experiencing joy in life because we fill up on things like boogers, things that make us feel disgusting and empty inside.
If you want to have fullness of life then fill up your soul on the bread of life. After all, you are what you eat!
Thought for the day: Do I fill up my soul on the life Jesus offers, or do I waste my time with things that make me feel empty?
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