The Children’s Bread

The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Matthew 15:25-27

I recall a conversation I had with my sister some years ago when Puff Daddy (I believe this was before his P Diddy incarnation) was taken to court for child support. Some folks held the opinion that the mother of his children was asking for a lot, far more than she needed. But my sister said, summing up the matter nicely:

“If Puff Daddy rides around in a limousine, so should his children!” In other words, if my father eats caviar (never tasted the stuff, looks unappetizing, LOL!) so will I! That seemed like sound reasoning to me.

When my siblings and I were young, we went through what most children did of our time. You ate what mom cooked. Much of the time, MaDear indulged us and cooked what we wanted, our short order cook and waitress all in one. But I still remember the standoff she and I had over greens – I didn’t want ’em and she was determined I would try them. They were a cold congealed mess when I finally touched the fork to my lips, but try them, I did. I admitted they weren’t bad and I’ve eaten them ever since.

And then there was the showdown between MaDear and my little sister over chicken. (It was epic, on the scale of the Everybody hates Chris episode when Tanya refused to eat the surplus sausage.) The youngest, being the baby, could normally get away with murder although she never did perform anything so heinous. But our MaDear clearly wasn’t having it that day. She stood her ground and informed her baby that she would sit there until she finished that fried chicken leg. My sister wailed and insisted she couldn’t because of a phenomenon we’ve all experienced at one point or another. You know – when you bite into the drumstick and see that ugly red vein protruding – ugh. Even I, whose stomach is not so tender, must admit its appearance can be off-putting.

You will eat it, MaDear insisted, even if you have to sit here all night! 

But my sister couldn’t. Unlike with me, our mother relented when she saw her daughter was genuinely repulsed by that particular cut of meat. For years afterward, she would only eat only the breast, as it contained no obviously offending veins. This brings me to the next well-known tradition in many households, also ala EHC – Daddy gets the biggest piece of meat! The breast belongs to him! But, notice, we ALL ate chicken. If he received steak and gravy, concurrently, so did we all. And my father was a big fan of this notion. It was his habit to purchase gallon sizes containers of ice cream daily during the summer and personally see to it that we joined him in polishing it off. Sometimes I was cajoled into partaking in one of his down-home delicacies, say cornbread and buttermilk (yucky, btw) because he insisted that we eat what he ate. To feed us from his plate was his delight.

Recently, it occurred to me that this analogy held true with the children’s bread. See, my rambunctious Rottweiler Rocco, could not, nor should he, receive everything I eat. (Some of it he wouldn’t even appreciate, being a dog.) But my daughter can. And never does she have to qualify for the privilege or prove her worthiness. She eats what I eat, simply because she is my daughter. I offer it up freely; it is my pleasure. To care for her, even though she is grown, brings me joy.

Today, I thank God for this revelation because I’ve struggled most of my life with whether or not I deserved my blessings. Could I ever earn such a thing, or would I ever be good enough? My life has been a series of failed experiences in proving my value to the world. I’ve spent a good portion of my time creating accomplishments to justify my worth to man. This has been an unsuccessful effort because, mainly, the problem lay with me. I didn’t believe myself worthy. But now I know, my blessings have nothing to do with my worthiness. He is my Father. My value lies in the fact that I am His child. I get what He gets, have access to the things He has access to and I eat what He eats. Maybe He still gets the big piece of chicken, LOL! But in true Father fashion, I am allowed to eat from His plate, sup from His bowl, simply because He wants me to enjoy what He has. I don’t have to do a thing to deserve it, other than be His. Can you imagine a baby deserving a meal? Crazy, right? Think about it – a mother’s breast will excrete milk in response to her baby’s cry. We are hard wired and designed to give to our children, provide for, and respond to their need.

It has been said by some that healing, based on the context of our scripture, is the children’s bread. But I say, let us not stop there. It’s all ours! Everything God has belongs to us. Consider this: Would any of us withhold provision of ANY sort from our children? Is there any advantage we wouldn’t want to give them? And if they asked, or we saw their need, who among us wouldn’t give MORE than enough according to our ability? My children are welcome to anything and everything I have because they are mine. And so it is with God. I’m walking into this new year secure in the knowledge that my Father’s bread, is MY bread. Whatever He has belongs to me. Yes, all the cattle on a thousand hills and more are MINE.

“If you then, imperfect as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:11

Happy New Year,

Loria

Dream Girl

97783352d77225c4b0e06ce8b98c0fdd“I am chan-yang-yang-yanging!” Effie White, Dream Girls

“…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2

“It’s time for that new year, new you, B.S.,” said my coworker with a cynical sneer. It was the assertion of someone who had tried and likely, failed in her various efforts. How sad, thought the eternal optimist in me. While a new year cannot magically give you the impetus to suddenly leave off doing certainly behaviors, it certainly is a great place to be inspired enough to try.

I found encouragement this morning in a song from Dream Girls, I Am Changing. I’m of an age where I can recall the original version, but both Jennifers did it justice. Usually, the resolution that most people make at this time of year is to lose weight. I find it noteworthy that these women were able to make a huge change in their dietary habits to become the person they’ve always dreamed of becoming. They started out as big girls and then empowered themselves to change. They are shining examples of what we can do, with our weight and otherwise, if we just persevere. We can do it! This is our year! We can go the distance! If this song doesn’t motivate you, I don’t know what will. For me, it did the trick.

dreamgirls3

I am changing, trying every way I can.
I am changing, I’ll be better than I am.
I’m trying to find a way to understand.
But I need you, I need you, I need a hand.
I am changing, seeing everything so clear.
I am changing, I’m gonna start right now, right here.
I’m hoping to work it out and I know that I can.
But I need you, I need a hand.
All of my life, I’ve been a fool.
Who said I can do it all alone?
How many good friends have I already lost?
And how many dark nights have I known?
Walking down that wrong road, there was nothing I could find.
All those years of darkness can make a person blind.
But now I can see…
I am changing, trying every way I can.
I am changing, I’ll be better than I am.
But I need a friend, to help me start all over again.
Oh, That would be just fine.
I know it’s gonna work out this time.
Cuz this time I am, this time…I…am

jennifer-hudson_0

I am changing, I’ll get my life together now.
I am changing, yes, I know how.
I’m gonna start again.
I’m gonna leave my past behind.
I’ll change my life.
I’ll make a vow.
Nothings gonna stop me now…

Let this song inspire you, as it did me, to become that person of our dreams and the best version of ourselves. Let it become our anthem when we suffer setbacks and disappointments. Let it become a constant source of encouragement when a voice tries to tell us differently. Let us shout it with a deafening roar, if we must, and drown out the voices that would remind us of the times we’ve failed because it only takes ONE TIME to succeed. Let us drill it into our minds until we instill it in our hearts and this new year is a great place to start. Now is as good a time as any other. Lord, renew our minds with purpose, help us to recommit and rededicate ourselves to our cause. Let us open wide our mouths and sing loud with our tonsils showing: I AM CHANGING!
Be blessed,
Loria