In most of our homes we say a blessing prior to eating.  Why before we eat?  I suppose it’s because we are thanking Him in advance for the gift of this food. 

In Jewish homes they say the blessing after eating. They thank God for the food they have consumed so that they can continue to praise Him.   On the Sabbath they also light candles, and the mother covers her head with a scarf and father offers a blessing for each of his children.  It’s a lovely tradition. 

Also, in most Jewish homes the blessings over the food are very specific.  For example, there is a blessing designated for fruit and an entirely different blessing for vegetables.  There is a special blessing for grape products like juice or wine, and another for bread.  Then, there is a separate blessing for cake, cookies and other products made with flour other than bread. And finally, there is a blessing for everything else, which covers anything the Father/Mother might have missed!  

Why is it so complicated.  Why not just one blessing that covers it all?

After some research I discovered that each kind of food contains different elements for which they are grateful.  When eating something sweet it is a different sensory experience than when one is eating a piece of bread.  Indulging in a glass of wine and biting into a carrot are both experiences to be thankful for, but they are very different in taste and texture.

Verse 19 of Psalm 68 reads. “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”  So how does this fit in with blessing our food?

Just as each kind of food has its own special element for which we are grateful, so too, every day has something unique for which to be thankful.  We need to bless God “day by day “because every day brings new blessings to us.   He bears our burdens! 

Does blessing God seem strange to you?  I thought we always asked His blessings to us.  When you read the Hebrew Scriptures, we read where people always blessed God……. Don’t we praise him for what he has done for us? 

In Lamentations 3:22-23 we read. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end;’ they are new every morning.”  What a beautiful thought!  God showers us with new blessings every morning, and so we must be thankful anew every single day. 

Giving gratitude is a practice of the senses and a reminder that we need to be sensitive to all the different ways that God has blessed us.  We are especially thankful for the gift of food.  We see so many who are homeless and must depend on others for food! Working in poor neighborhoods and helping deliver food is a great blessing for them and for us. 

No matter how good or how bad your life might seem right now, there is always something for which to be grateful.   God is giving us a gift every day; you just need to look for it.  Once you’ve discovered it rejoice and praise God for it!

What is your blessing today?

An added note:  A friend wrote me with this thought since the assignation attempt on President Trump.  “Vote with Ballots and not with bullets.”  So true.