Beside my computer, I have an index card on which I’ve written words that hit me hard when I read them again about a week ago. I share them here in the event someone else needs to hear them, too.
These
are from the works of L.B. Cowman, “Bakers of bread for others to eat must be
very careful to husband their strength. They are not much seen, but much felt;
unknown multitudes would feel their loss, and their failing means others famishing.”
The
writer has likened the baking of bread to those who minister in the Lord’s name,
sharing the bread of life.
Perhaps
we consider what we do for the Lord a small thing, but only God knows the
ripple effects of it. And because of that, we must guard our lives from the pilfering
that so easily happens with too much on our plate, screen distractions, or
other ways our strength can dissipate sometimes without our even knowing it.
A
wise man once wrote, “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life
starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter,
white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead. Ignore all sideshow
distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust” (Proverbs 4:23-27 The Message).
Perhaps
you teach, preach, sing, write, work for an outreach ministry, work with
children, minister in prisons, serve in a food ministry—the list goes on. There
are so many ways to bake the bread, but sometimes it’s easy to grow discouraged
doing the same thing day after day, but at any time the loaf you share could
save a life, could inspire someone to wholly surrender to the Lord, or start
something entirely new out of faithful stewardship of the Lord’s word.
Once,
when I pulled a slice from a gluten free loaf, the bread had an air bubble in
it that had formed a heart when it was baked. I couldn’t resist taking a
picture because I knew one day I would need it. When I wrote this post, I found
it on my phone when I searched for bread in my pictures. I thought it a good
illustration of how important it is to guard our hearts because our heart is in
the middle of every piece of bread we share.
So,
let’s husband our strength which starts with our heart and bake that bread.
Even
if it’s gluten free.