Loved Fiercely—Carly Van Laar

Have you ever ordered a smoothie from one of those smoothie places? I’ve splurged every now and then treating myself to one of those concocted-cups-of-goodness. Each time, I’ve felt so empowered when I order.

Energy blast? Yes, please!

Trim powder? You bet!

Brain food? Um, you got it, I need ALL THE HELP in that department!

As I walk away sipping my creation through the straw, I just cannot wait for the energy-filled, toned, brainiac I’m about to become!

And then…nothing.

Sure, I didn’t feel hunger anymore. I may have a little pep in my step, but it’s wasn’t anything that would sustain me through my day.

But, guess what?

There’s a bread baker that bakes just the right piece of bread made especially for me and my day.

And, there’s bread baked up just for YOU and YOUR day, BUT, you’ve got to go to The Baker and ask for it.

Lately, I’ve been focused on The Lord’s Prayer, and being intentional about praying it audibly each morning. There’s this line in the prayer:

“…Give us this day, our daily bread…”

Our. Daily. Bread.

I thought about this line a lot. God knows EXACTLY how my day is going to unfold. He knows EXACTLY what I’m going to need to face each part of my day and what it holds.

So, each morning when I talk with God, I voice the fact that I trust Him with my day; I trust what He’s going to do with it; and I trust that He’s going to mix up JUST THE RIGHT slice of bread, with JUST THE RIGHT ingredients tailor-made for my unique day.

Due to this, when I face obstacles in my day, I think back to the morning when I asked THE ULTIMATE BAKER for my daily slice of bread, knowing that He knew I’d be in that particular moment, and He’s already prepared me to face whatever it is.

For example, today I had the goal of mopping the kitchen area of our home. I even voiced that fact to my husband when we were talking about our days and what they held.

So….

-When I was on my way out the door to work and I discover that our extremely senior adult dog had made a puddle underneath the kitchen table, I clean it up, knowing that God had already purposed in my heart to be in a floor-cleaning mode.

-When I venture down to the basement to find something for a friend to borrow and I cross paths with a huge unmentionable (or, spider, to those who don’t know me well enough to know my huge fear of these creatures), I know that God had already prepared me for this when I had been in the same building as t-word-spider (I literally cannot even bring myself to type the word!) earlier in the day. Side note: I cannot even understand why someone would have one of these as a pet, but I digress…

-When my kiddo was getting a bowl out of the cabinet and it dropped and shattered into pieces, no worries! I still have yet to mop the kitchen floor, so I’ll go ahead and vacuum it up real good.

Each of these things could’ve been a day-derailer for me. You know, that moment when you throw your hands up the in the air, declare it a bad day, and just quit trying. BUT, thinking back to that slice of “bread” my Creator made just for me, it just helps. I can’t explain it, but it just seems to put those frustrating moments into perspective.

Will you come to the bread counter with me tomorrow morning and ask God for your slice of daily bread that’s made just for you?

I sure hope so!

“Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen”

(emphasis mine)