Bread and butter. It has been looked down upon ever since the low fat and low carb diet days in the 90’s. Growing up, especially when I reached my teenage years, I was under the impression that bread and butter was bad, that it was bad for you, and that it would make you fat. At the same point in my life, I was not a Christian. The people I knew who were Christians were kind of dorky and goofy and boring. I didn’t want to be like that because God forbid, I would be a boring nerd.

Later on in life, in my mid twenties, I met my future husband, who gave me my first bible. I quickly started reading my bible, digging through the pages of it, and asking him (my future husband) questions about Jesus. I was eating it up. I begged God to help me have faith to believe in the gospel, that Jesus was the Son of God, that He was sent to this earth as a baby, that He lived a perfect life and then died for our sins on the cross and rose three days later. I asked the Lord to forgive me of my sins, to help me repent from my sins, and to become the Lord of my life. I did this many, many times and eventually, my faith was strong enough and I believed. I know now He will never turn away those who come to Him and He has never turned me away since. (“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” 6:37).

About the same time, in my mid twenties, as my faith in Jesus was growing, I remember eating dinner one evening at a nice restaurant and as I spread butter on my bread, I was asked by a shocked person… “Michelle, you are eating bread and even spreading butter on it?” I remember thinking, “Yes! Yes I am! And it is good! And it won’t make me fat!” I wish I was thinking about Jesus being the Bread of Life and that I would have said, “Yes, taste it and see that it is good, just like Jesus. You won’t be a boring nerd!” But it wasn’t that deep of an experience. I do remember though, the physically satisfying sensation of eating bread and butter because I still experience this today. It fills me up and satisfies me like no other food. I think that’s because it is nourishing and satisfying, and also because it was forbidden in my mind for so long and I now eat it freely. And I’m not fat. And it is so good.

I’m currently reading through John in my bible study right now. Just this morning, I was reviewing John 6:25-71. It is about Jesus being the true Bread of Life. I always knew I had a special connection to bread. It was my first big, exciting feat in the kitchen after many failed attempts. I’m not sure what or who gave me the desire to learn how to bake bread, but I’ve been baking it now for about 15 years. My most favorite bread is my sourdough, especially my whole spelt loaf. Eating a piece of warm sourdough with butter is so deeply satisfying to me that it makes this section of scripture about Jesus being the Bread of Life come alive. If bread and butter can physically satisfy me so much, how much then can Jesus truly satisfy my soul and deepest longing? More than I can imagine… I love how bread and butter used to be looked down upon by me and how I used to also look down on Christianity. But today, all that has changed, and they are one in same. Bread satisfies my physical hunger like Jesus satisfies my spiritual hunger and I choose to feast on both. I hope you’ll try it too. “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. (John 6:35-37)