Bread for the Journey

Posted on Oct 19, 2015 Topic : Weekly Devotionals

[Jesus said,] “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35)

After World War II, Europe was overwhelmed with a number of hungry, homeless children who had been orphaned by the conflict. These children were placed in large camps where they received sufficient food and care. But the caregivers noticed the children did not sleep well at night. They were anxious and fearful and restless.

The caregivers were stumped until a psychologist formulated a solution. He instructed the caregivers to give each child a piece of bread, not to eat, but to hold after they were put to bed.

The results astounded all. The children slept through the night because they knew they would have food the next day. Holding bread gave them a sense of security (they were safe), significance (somebody cared about them), and satisfaction (there will be more bread tomorrow). Those things are what those children needed—and what every person needs.

We are all born with this hunger, but our growling souls can be satisfied only by the Bread of Life.

- 52 Weeks with Jesus

We all crave a form of security. Like the orphans of World War II, we want to know we’re safe, that someone cares about us, and that somebody will be there for us tomorrow. As Christians, we know that Someone is our heavenly Father. While we sleep, we hold no piece of bread and yet we sleep soundly in his care. We awake each morning knowing the day ahead is filled with the true Bread of life. We need not hunger, nor fear, nor feel unloved. We need only to partake of our daily Bread of life.