Have You Eaten?
Love in three words.
Gring gring, Gring gring
Voice groggy as usual
“Hello mummy, good morning”
“How are you today”
“I’m fine”
“Have you eaten?”
Looks at the time, 10:30
“It’s almost 12”
“No, it’s just to 11, I’m going to the kitchen now”
“ok, yes, eat something o, don’t leave it too late, wanted to hear your voice, talk later, bye”
“thank you, bye”
Typical conversation with my mum these critical days. I admit that the me of a year ago would not have appreciated this as much as I do now, many Nigerians can relate.
Have you eaten?
There’s so much love packed into that question so when it hit me some months ago, I almost beat myself for not realising sooner. No, no I don’t expect this question from everyone, in fact it doesn’t occur to some people (like me) to ask this. I’m typically more concerned with someones non-physical state, and unfortunately over the years I expected everyone who loved me to be as concerned with this aspect. Thankfully I’ve been learning how to appreciate everyone’s unique gift.
That said, we were created as multidimensional beings, with a physical nature, a spiritual and moral (metaphysical) nature. It’s nice to know that while one person cannot meet all our needs in those dimensions, God who created us, can! The Bible is not just concerned with the spiritual, it mentions actual physical food over 300 times but it starts off with God providing food for all.
Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
Some other interesting things to note is how God provided Manna and Quail for the Israelites, Angel’s food it says! straight from heaven, amazing.
Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day
The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers.
Honey wafers! gimme!
Psalm 78:25 Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.
Also, God asked an angel to cook food for Elijah when the man was on the verge of depression and wanted God to take his life, sometimes not therapy, sometimes food and sleep!
I Kings 19:1–9 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
And then Jesus, feeding thousands with bread and fish and also making breakfast for this disciples, one lovely morning after his resurrection, no he wasn’t just a spirit he had an actual body, I mean if spirit cook food for you, you go chop?
John 21 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them — fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread. “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
“Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said.
And it’s not just to human beings, God provides food for all creatures. It’s such a lovely lovely thing, and I’m super glad for all those who provide food, from the farmers to the people who give. I have two friends I can name who give me food! I should have married you guys hehe.
So I was writing this last night, only for me to wake up today with a text from a friend saying that she had left some freshly baked homemade bread for me at church! Wholemeal with pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and chia seeds, woooo! am I blessed or what.
Most Importantly, while I go gaga over free food, the best thing any of us can eat is this.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. — John 6:35
And yes…I have eaten, thank you ^_^
