My children – all grown and into their thirties- come home to visit, and the first thing I do is feed them. I’d never really thought about it until recently when my son asked what there was to eat as he arrived through the garage door. Like Pavlov’s dogs, I have conditioned my kids to associate food with me. Or are children born with this association?
Feed our children and ourselves
It’s reasonable to imagine that babies associate food with Mom. I mean, it’s among the first things I did upon giving birth- I fed my infant.
This bonding of food and Mom set off a lifelong association. Even more, studies have shown that while in utero, babies can pick up food likes and dislikes just from what mom eats. We have a lot of influence on food in our kids.
But we also focus on feeding them in other ways, specifically feeding their soul, as God does with us.
I’ve been so distracted lately with moving our household and dealing with the sale of our old, large home, coupled with aging parent issues with my husband’s mom and dad. I’ve not been as consistent with my bible reading and devotionals as I have been in the past. And I find that I am HUNGRY for God’s word! Feeling very much like the pangs you get before lunch or dinner, my soul has been “panging” for some excellent messages, insight, and direction from God’s word. Like the nourishment moms provide to their newborns, Gods word fills us with spiritual food.
Numerous verses within the bible illustrate how much God meant for his words to be nourishing, to give us spiritual energy, and to grow our souls and bodies in his love. Some of my favorites:
Matthew 4:4 – “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.'”
Jeremiah 15:16 – “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word became to me the gladness and joy of my heart.”
Feed my children God’s word
When my kids were little, we were Catholic. So, we had them baptized as infants. Looking back on this, I realize the act of their baptism was more about their father and my commitment to God to raise them in his word rather than any choice they had in accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And, of course, we planned on them going to CCD (catechism classes) when they were in grammar school and doing the whole rotation of sacraments, starting with reconciliation and moving through first communion, confirmation, etc.
But those plans and actions didn’t seem enough. I felt hungry for them, hungry to prepare and serve them God’s truth and lead them to the table of his bounty in a satisfying, wholesome relationship with Jesus. So I began searching for spiritual food, buying them all Children’s Bibles.
Resourcing your meal prep to feed children’s spiritual needs
There are plenty of good resources out there as far as children’s Bibles go. But with my toddlers, I kept it simple: large print, hard pages, washable, lots of bright pictures, and simple stories. For my school-age children, we went with stories and fewer illustrations, but a bible that had them asking questions and searching in the book for answers. I’ve sourced two outstanding options for toddlers and grammar school children.
The Beginners Bible for Toddlers: Board book
International Childrens Bible for school age kids
Additionally, we sent our kids to Christian preschool programs and found some great summer bible camps for young kids. Our playgroup was also made up of Christian families. Staying in the community and the word with others helped us to feed our kids well.
Of course, back then, we didn’t have the internet as we do now, so your resources have expanded! But we did buy Christian videos and CDs. Today though, you have social media groups and, YouTube, on-demand movies and shows. Even some of the Bibles we used, such as Zondervan’s Beginners Bible for Toddlers, have free resources online which give you free videos, downloadable worksheets, and fun games for the kids.
Serving God’s Word
We prepped but remained flexible, just as we did with our meals and snacks. One day we might be ravenous and read, watch, and play in God’s word all day! On other days we would be busy with other things and need to remember to feed ourselves. And we gave ourselves grace in both cases! Being flexible but dedicated is the key to healthy, nutritious prep and delivering God’s word.
When my son arrived home and asked to be fed, I immediately set out to prepare something with his help. But I also took the opportunity to feed his soul, sharing our Pastor’s sermon that week and relating Bible wisdom to my son’s life updates as we cooked. Because as long as I am alive, my children will still be my children, they will still associate me with food, and I will still deliver what they need for both body and soul.
PS: We made this
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