A Sumptuous Feast
“Feed the church of God, which He bought with his own blood.” Acts 20:28b (NIV)
You’ve heard a mother-in-law joke. We all have. I’m not proud to admit it, but in the past I’ve told a few.
But my mother-in-law, Catherine, was the farthest thing from a punch line in a mother-in-law joke. She was a spiritual giant all wrapped up in tiny 4-foot-10 inch bundle of sunshine. Down to earth, kind, and unpretentious.
When you entered her home you were greeted with warm hugs and the aroma of her latest creation wafting from her tiny kitchen. She was one of the best cooks I ever met. Cooking never seemed arduous or tedious for Catherine.
She took great pleasure in preparing and feeding her family, spending days preparing a sumptuous family dinner just to have it consumed in moments. Empty plates and platters were her delight. Sending home leftovers were her bliss. Before the meal we all would bow our heads to hear her words of blessing and gratitude.
Catherine’s spiritual life was a lot like those meals. It was satisfying and full of nourishment. She poured the word of God into our lives as easily as she filled our glasses with sweet tea.
Toward the end of her life, she broke her wrist and I had the privilege to care for her. I bathed and dressed her each morning, fed her breakfast, then sat on the floor at her feet while she fed me from God’s holy word. She recited her favorite verses from memory and read to me from her daily devotion book. Her prayers were like honey, sweet with remembrances of God’s goodness and faithfulness to her. Those prayers were infused with gratitude for His enduring strength and perfumed with her love for Jesus.
The angels surely paused long enough to add an amen!
In the few weeks she and I spent together I was treated to some of the richest and tastiest morsels from God’s word I have ever feasted on.
There was once a time that I wondered how she managed to turn out delectable meals from her tiny kitchen, but also how she became a professional at serving up God’s word to her family.
She often said, “Honey, it all begins on your knees. If you spend enough time with my Jesus, He will teach you every thing you need to know about feeding your family.”
http://zoeelmore.com/ angel biscuits and sweet tea aren’t the only things I miss about my mother-in-law. I miss her tiny kitchen and the fresh serving of prayer she whispered while feeding her family.
Yes, her kitchen now sits quiet and dark, but the feasting of a spiritual legacy of her love for God and her family lives on.
Dear Lord, help me to be a wife and mom that feeds her family from the kitchen and from Your word. May I leave a legacy for those you’ve entrusted in my care. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Sounds like you were truly blessed with an amazing Mother-in-Law! That’s great that you were able to spend so much time with her and learn from her so much!
Amen to that! It truly all begins on the knees. What an amazing testimony.
What a beautiful story, she woulds like a wonderful woman. Thanks for this… more than just food.. but food for my soul!
So beautiful. What a gift that you were able to give her to care for her- and she to you by living so gracefully
What a sweet story. She sounds like an amazing woman and you were lucky to have her in your life.
That’s so touching. I was blessed with an amazing mother-in-law for only a few short years before she passed away. She sounds a bit like your mother-in-law, and I’m only hopeful that I can bring a bit of her grace and spirit into my own life every day.
What a sweet woman!
She had a profound impact. What a blessing!