Keeping ‘Em Fed with Daily Bread: Encouragement for Mothers

I have good news for all you mothers out there: I’ve discovered the key to being a good mom and it is much easier than we thought. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not all about playing thrilling games, reading piles of books, and planning fabulous, educational outings. Forget the days of trying to be homework-helping-queen, run the best taxi service in town, or throw amazing birthday parties. Fortunately for us moms, it turns out to be much simpler than all of that.

My discovery occurred years ago when Landon (then 4) and Soren (then 2) debriefed me on their session of playing “house.”

“I was the mom and Soren was the baby,” Landon explained.

“Yeah, I bebe.” Soren chimed in.

“Were you a good mom?” I asked Landon.

“Yes.”

“How do you know how to be a good mom?” (Confession: I was trolling for an answer like “because you’re such a good mom!” He didn’t take the bait, but his answer was pretty enlightening nonetheless.)

“Easy. When it was morning I said ‘time for breakfast.’ When it was lunchtime I said ‘time for lunch.’ When it was night time I said ‘time for dinner.’ When it was bedtime I sang Joy Joy and read the Bible. See? Easy.”

So there you have it. Three meals a day—served at the appropriate times, of course—a bedtime song, and a Bible story. That’s it. 

Anyone else surprised to learn that the daily task of keeping ‘em fed and functioning is enough to qualify someone as a good mom? Apparently, it is. I had been operating under the assumption that the mark of a good mom is in the “extra” stuff—the games, projects, outings, etc. But here, from the playtime antics of my very own little people, we see that the bulk of good mom-ness is in the unglamorous, often monotonous taking-care-of-the-kids stuff. Specifically, it is in the providing of food.

Food for their bodies—actual food.

Food for their hearts—a song and a snuggle.

Food for their souls—a Bible story.

None of this food has to be served up as a lavish feast. The kids just need to be fed. Give ‘em three (or more!) meals a day to fill rumbling bellies. Throw in a helping or two of love for the heart. And don’t forget a daily dose of Jesus to nourish sweet and tender souls.

So chin up, Mom! We don’t have to do it all. We simply need to provide daily bread. Any extras are like honey drizzled on top, but the bread is good without it. It really is. The bread is what nourishes them. The bread is what they need.  Come to think of it, the bread is what we all need.

Before we set off to tackle the daily task of keeping ‘em fed, we mothers would be wise to lay our needs—needs of body, soul, and spirit—at the feet of the Lord using the simple words he taught us: Give us this day our daily bread. Jesus knows what that means for this day. He will know what that means for tomorrow. He knows our unique needs in each season and is able to nourish and satisfy us with exactly what we need each and every day. He gives us our daily bread.

But it is even more than that. Jesus doesn’t just provide the bread. He is the bread. He is what we need.

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.”  John 6:35  

So Come, Lord Jesus, Help us to meet the needs of those you have placed in our care, but first—always first—may you come Jesus, Bread of Life, and give us this day our daily bread.

Amen and Happy Mother’s Day.

To learn to make beautiful bread like the one pictured above, check out the recipe here.