I was awakened too early this morning by a strangely vivid dream. Usually, my dreams are forgotten as soon as I sit up, but this one lingered. I can still almost taste it. Yes, that’s right, taste. My dream was nothing dramatic. No great revelation. I was eating pancakes.
But not just any pancakes. They were the kind that are somehow both light and fluffy in the middle while perfectly crisp around the buttery edges. And I had real maple syrup to go with them. The kind of pancakes where the first bite makes life feel warm, simple, and good.
Not exactly the stuff of profound spiritual visions.
And yet, later, as I sat with my coffee (and no pancakes) this morning, I wondered if maybe there couldn’t be a holy lesson hidden in such an ordinary dream.
We spend so much of life searching for the spectacular that we sometimes miss the grace tucked into the everyday. God has never met me in a burning bush or in a thundering voice from a mountaintop. But he has met me in other ways. So, who’s to say God’s grace can’t reach me in the quiet comforts of life?
In Scripture, God repeatedly uses ordinary food to remind people of divine love and care. Manna in the wilderness. Bread broken beside the sea after the resurrection. Daily bread taught in prayer.
Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Pancakes are kinda like bread.
Maybe daily bread isn’t only about survival. Maybe it’s also a reminder. A reminder that God loves us. A reminder that we need to hear that daily, because we too easily forget. A reminder that God wants us to have an abundant and joyful life. Yes, God, give me that reminder today and every day … even in a dream … about pancakes.
Not every blessing has to change your life to sustain your spirit. Ponder that for a few minutes. Give voice to a fleeting moment of gratitude before the rush of the day begins.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the ordinary gifts that nourish both body and soul. Help me not to overlook the quiet ways you offer connections with you each day. Teach me to recognize your presence not only in simple comforts, shared meals, and peaceful mornings. Give me a grateful heart for your daily bread in every form it comes. Amen.
