Just picture it,
if you can. It shakes my senses to even try to get an image in my
mind of a human being actually eating a photograph – of anything.
Our stomach and whole digestive system is going to fight it in one
way or another. We just aren't designed to eat paper in any form.
This is clear to people everywhere. Good sense says we don't
eat ground up trees with four corners or any other shape.
My mind keeps
showing me an image of a young person eating a photograph of a thick
juicy steak with mushrooms, potatoes, salad, and all the trimmings.
The person's stomach has been growling in hunger, and they expect to
be nourished by eating that photograph of all that good food.
There
are certainly better analogies that our 'eating a photograph' to make
our point here. Just the same, our hopes to gain strength, peace, and
purpose from scripture by only feeding on the '5 loaves and 2 fishes
catering' miracle the Lord administered (and other 'Bible Stories' we
were raised on), are just as foolish.
God
recognizes with great compassion that each of our lives contain many
moments when the cupboards are empty of anything to feed our bodies.
The widow in I Kings 17 learned that God's greater purpose in our
lives, beyond filling our bodies, is to fill our heart and mind with
His truths and will for us. Because of her sacrificial giving (to
God's man, Elijah), her empty cupboards were filled to overflowing, to be shared with
neighbors. And then the best was yet to come, when her son was raised
to life.
Our
human eyes and mind just can't picture the reality of our gracious
and loving God Who wants to build us into His soldiers and messengers
with more eternal grandeur than a thousand rainbows.
This
resource ==When 'GO TO YOUR ROOM!' Doesn't Work Any More== Will
simply show us that good nutrition of our mind and spirit is even
more important than that of the body. (1) We learn how to approach the
pinnacle 'how-to' manual – God's Word, and how to feed on its
truths. (2) We'll see the ugly evidence of neglecting the direction
and warnings in those truths.
Some might subtitle this - Cover to Cover Parenting.
We'll begin our meal next with "Start Here - Bible Grace"
We'll begin our meal next with "Start Here - Bible Grace"
