Breakfast is a word that identifies the first meal of the day. The origin of the word meant breaking a fast. In days gone by, when people ate only two or three times a day, breakfast broke the usual fast from dinner the day before until the first meal of a new day. What is eaten at this first meal is very important for physical health and energy.
Whereas a healthy first meal is important for the physical body, a healthy spiritual first meal is critical for the soul. In the previous blog, I talked about the soul being made up of the mind, emotions, and will. The heart is the inner part of the soul – the core, so to speak. “Soul care” is a phrase that has come to mean giving attention to that inner heart to build convictions in the mind, passion for God in the emotions, and resolve in the will to live God’s way.
Feeding the inner heart will ultimately determine the quality of life we will live. It could be argued that we never really “fast” spiritually because the Holy Spirit lives in us. While that is true, just as two people can live in the same house and rarely, personally relate, we can also have God’s Spirit, but lack intimacy with God. The result is that the heart of our soul is starved for lack of a proper consistent diet.
Unfortunately, we often pay little attention to the inner life and subsequently develop few consistent, spiritual disciplines which are designed for its care. A hurried life and the tyranny of the urgent have a way of pulling us away from participating in regular soul care until we finally break down on some internal level and are forced to pay attention – to feed our soul. Soul care requires intentionality and some spiritual habits or disciplines.
Prepared or prepackaged
On the physical level, our hurried lifestyle is our convenient excuse for a quick prepackaged breakfast. We grab a coffee and a bagel, or pastry for ourselves and give the kids a bowl of cereal as we rush off to begin our day. However, we all know such a breakfast gives a quick energy rush, but it is short-lived. By midmorning, we need another coffee and donut. A prepacked breakfast often becomes the standard routine, causing us to lose even the desire for a healthy breakfast.
This hurried lifestyle hinders our spiritual life as well. Instead of taking the time and effort to develop a first-hand relationship with Christ, we are satisfied with a vicarious one through the experiences of others. For example, I have an ever-increasing stack of prepackaged devotional books by popular authors that have been given to me with the caveat, “Here is a good devotional book I just read. I think you would like it.” Some of the authors are classic and many contemporary. Some are well-written with helpful insights into the Christian life. Others are popular yet very superficial. But even with the best ones, we are engaged with Scripture secondhand. “A fast food breakfast is better than nothing” we reason.
Sometimes we don’t even take the time to read a two-paragraph devotional reading. No problem. Just listen to the YouVersion Bible verse of the day while driving to work. We listen and call it good. Consequentially, our relationship with the Lord remains shallow. The inner heart is rarely touched; soul food is scarce and transformation is rare.
Prepared Soul Food
Let’s be honest; participating in and enjoying a spiritual breakfast for the soul requires certain choices, including reserving a consistent time each day to meet with the Lord. This kind of breakfast doesn’t have to involve a large amount of time (perhaps 20 minutes), but it does take time to prepare and to sit down to eat it.
Breakfast for the soul also requires some skill and discipline. These disciplines are what we do (breakfast) so God can do what we cannot do (nourish our soul). Down through history saints of every era have given testimony to the effectiveness of a healthy spiritual breakfast. Such practices have been called a “quiet time,” a “devotional life,” and even “manna in the morning” reminiscent of the Israelites gathering manna in the desert each morning. I refer to this breakfast for the soul as a daily appointment with God (DAWG) or a daily meeting with God.
A prepared (vs. prepackaged) spiritual breakfast for the soul involves daily reading a short passage of Scripture along with first-hand reflection and prayer. This DAWG practice is not a time for Bible study. Bible study is another helpful but different spiritual practice.
A suggested framework for a DAWG is patterned after the classic practice of Lectio Divina (sacred reading), sometimes referred to as reading the Bible with your heart. Four sequential steps help guide us through this process. All you need is a Bible, a pen, and a notebook to write down thoughts and observations.
1. Read: Read a short passage of Scripture.1
2. Record: Write down what the Spirit impresses on your mind from the text.
3. Reflect: Journal as you ask the Spirit to give you understanding and insight into the passage. It may help to ask questions such as: what principle is being taught; who does this; why do this; how is it relevant; and when should it be applied?
4. Respond: Express to God in prayer what you have heard him say and how you might apply it to your day.
A consistent DAWG provides fresh soul food that feeds the heart of the soul and thus promotes authentic life change. It is a spiritual breakfast that develops biblical convictions in the mind, passion in our emotions, and resolve in our will to obey. It is a time of fellowship with Christ and listening to his Spirit.
Psalm 1 is a beautiful picture of the person practicing a spiritual breakfast of soul food. In this Psalm, a tree is planted by streams of living water. That is what we do; plant ourselves by the fresh flow of living water of Scripture. God in turn enables the tree to “… yield its fruit in its season … its leaf does not wither…. whatever he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:3). God promises that a soul that is nourished on a fresh supply of living water (soul food) will be sustained regardless of the season and the difficulties encountered. The fruit will come and spiritual leaves will remain vibrant, green, and healthy.
1 This kind of “reading” requires the use of short passages of Scripture. There is value in reading through the Bible in a year kind of program but it is hard to have breadth and depth simultaneously. A yearly reading through the Bible expands our knowledge but rarely builds conviction, passion, or resolve in the heart.
For Reflection
1. What is your greatest barrier to a healthy soul food breakfast?
2. What is your plan for feeding your soul?