Soft footsteps padded into the kitchen. Jenna glanced up to see her six-year-old approaching. She scooted her chair back from the table and Benji climbed into her lap. Jenna breathed in his little boy scent and held him close. “You’re up early.”

            Benji settled back against her. “It was bright in my room.”

            Jenna brushed a kiss on Benji’s hair. “I’m sorry, buddy. I must have forgotten to close your curtains last night.”

            “Did the sun wake you up too, Mommy?”

            Jenna laughed. “Something like that. I always get up early. Since you’re here, would you like to help me make pancakes?”

            Benji slid off her lap. “Yay! Pancakes!”

            Jenna couldn’t help smiling at Benji’s enthusiasm. She pulled the flour and other dry ingredients from the cupboard, and helped Benji stir the big bowl of batter. Soon they had a stack of pancakes, hot and golden. Jenna carried a plateful to the kitchen table, and Benji followed with the syrup. Jenna set her Bible aside as they set the table.

            “Were you reading when I came down, Mommy?”

            “Yes, I was reading the Bible.”

            Benji scrunched up his nose. “Why?”
            “Because it’s God’s word to us and I wanted to read what He had to say.”

            “But it’s Monday. We went to church yesterday. Didn’t you hear about God yesterday?”

            Jenna placed pancakes on each of their plates as she considered what to say to her son. “Let’s pray first, and then we’ll talk about it.”

            Benji nodded and bowed his head. “God, thank you for my Mommy and for pancakes.”

            Jenna’s heart warmed at Benji’s prayer. She silently added “and please, God, give me the right words to speak to my son about you.”

            Benji grabbed a fork and dug into his short stack of pancakes. “Mmm,” he murmured.

            Inspiration struck. “Why do you need to eat pancakes today?” Jenna asked. “You had breakfast yesterday. And lunch and dinner, too.”

            Benji stared at her with wide eyes. “But I’m hungry, Mommy. I get hungry every day. I need to eat to grow up big and strong. That’s what Daddy says.”

            “That’s right. And it’s the same thing with the Bible. We need to keep reading the Bible and pray and we grow closer to God. How do you think you’d feel if you only ate on Sunday mornings?”
            Benji frowned. “I’d be super hungry. And I wouldn’t grow up big and strong like Daddy.”   

            “That’s the same reason we shouldn’t only read the Bible and pray on Sunday. I want to grow up big and strong like our heavenly Daddy.”

            Benji reached out and touched the leather-bound volume. “Do you think you could read the Bible to me?”

Matthew 4: 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Dear God, we are so privileged. Just as we have an abundance of food, we also have an abundance of opportunities to learn about you. From Bibles, to Christian books, to Christian movies, music, radio shows, TV shows, and a church on nearly every corner, we are surrounded with chances to learn more about you. A starving person surrounded by food wouldn’t turn it down. So why do we turn down the chances we have to learn about You? Please draw us closer to You and help us take advantage of the opportunities in front of us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.