Clay in the Hands

I am not much of a bread eater. I like bread and will eat it, but I don’t have to have it with every meal. In fact, it is unusual for us to even have it in our pantry. So when I arrived at Christ In the Desert on April 10th, I was not overly excited to find bread to be a primary staple. In fact, the first couple of days I did not indulge.

But on Wednesday, after my Shredded Mini-Wheats, I thought I would have a piece of buttered toast. I have mentioned in other posts, that the experience of time at this particular monastery is one of solitude and silence. No one is supposed to talk. So sitting at meals offers time to think and pray and be fully present with what is happening.

As I took my first bite of toast, I was taken back by how good it tasted. Granted it had been a long time since I had eaten toast, but I could not get past the thought that this was the best toast I had ever eaten. As I sat there slowly enjoying each buttery bite, I prayed, thanking God for His goodness and His provision. I thanked him for how good the toast tasted.

I did not hear an audible voice but I definitely sensed God’s response. God impressed on me that what I was experiencing with the flavor of the toast was how toast should taste all the time. And what’s more, all of life’s goodness should be experienced the same way. As I thought about what God said, and took another bite of toast, I realized that the only reason I rarely have such an experience with things is that I am always moving too fast.

In the last few posts, I have talked about being still so that things become more clear. Another benefit of slowing down is really being present and able to take in the beauty (and flavor) of God’s creation.

God does not always communicate something so profound in something as simple as buttered bread, but occasionally He does if we are paying attention. God created life to be experienced and enjoyed for it’s goodness. We know that sin takes what God meant for good and twists and distorts it. But this lesson about toast reminded me that there is still so much good in life to be enjoyed, we just have to slow down and experience it.

So today, slow down and savor the toast.