Railway Ramblings

“But Mommy, I don’t like the taste of it…” protested my eight year old daughter, as she looked at the vegetables served at the table. (My apologies to the vegetarians, but I too do not like veggies). But that particular evening, it was the only food served for dinner, and my wife continued saying (glancing at me more often than necessary, as if telling me “this is for you, too”), “…you need it. It’s good for you.” My daughter, with tears in her eyes, ate her dinner as I swallowed mine.

Then that evening, in our family devotion, we came upon this verse in Luke 11:3, “Give us each day our daily bread.” And then it hit me right there and then, even as I think about the carrots, cabbages, and cauliflowers I’ve had to swallow earlier.

God provides us for everything that we need in life – sometimes with good things, and then some. Yes, sometimes, the plates overflow. God keeps bringing out more “food” than we can swallow, and we keep loosening our belts. It could be a successful career, a salary increase, a privilege, a friendship, a gift. 

And then there are those days when we have to eat the “vegetables” in life, those things we do not like. Our daily bread could be trials, tears, temptations. It seems like all of life’s difficulties follow you like a creepy shadow. Our portion may include adversities and those “bad things” in life.

But then we pray, “Give us today our daily bread” and when God serves the food, indeed it can be so distasteful, at times dreadful. But doesn’t He know what is best for us? If He, who gave us His only Son because of His great love for us, offers us these vegetables in our life, then maybe we should take it, albeit with some tears in our eyes. Should we only receive the good things in life? Are we not supposed to embrace even those “seemingly bad things” too?

God, in His sovereignty and love, knows what is best for us. And therefore, if we need to go through those difficult things in life, then with Paul we should welcome it and say…

“when I have enough to eat and when I go hungry, when I have more than I need and when I do not have enough, I can do all things through Christ, because He gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:12-13).