Lunch with Libby

I’ve had the privilege of spending time with my almost two-year-old granddaughter for the past month. Mommy had a brand new baby girl, and I came out to witness the happy event and help for a few weeks. We’ve been enjoying many activities together – tea parties, stroller walks when the weather permits, reading books, singing favorite songs (The Little Drummer Boy and Frosty the Snowman are continuing well past the holiday season), and delighting in each other’s company. I wouldn’t trade this time for the world, and just as I am hopefully teaching a few things during this treasured visit, I am learning some valuable lessons as well.

Just like many grandparents I like to treat my grandkids to out-to-eats and occasional “just because I love you” presents. So, out on errands one day, Libby, Mommy, Baby Bekah and I planned to stop at a fast food restaurant to have a little lunch. Libby was excited to hear we were going to have a meal at one of her favorite eateries. Her menu choices are usually the same – fries with “dip” (ketchup) and yogurt parfait. Mommy and I ordered side salads and water – we did just wade through a couple weeks of holiday fare, after all – and with those, I brought Libby’s preferred food items to the table. After prayer, we began to enjoy our meal. Libby slowly and methodically ate her food. She started with the fries, switched to the parfait, went back to the fries, drank some water, etc. My daughter and I finished within 20 minutes, but Libby continued eating. I was beginning to think that things were dragging on, but I wasn’t sure if it was out of the ordinary until my daughter said, “This must be the longest lunch time anyone has ever taken!” We both began to laugh hysterically. Seriously, Libby finished her last bite about an hour after she had begun. Had we known the stats ahead of time, we might have called Guinness for a world record attempt. The funny thing is, Libby was not dawdling because she was loath to eat what was set before her. She was thoroughly enjoying every bite! To her it was a banquet to be savored, not rushed, a repast to be appreciated for as long as possible.

As I thought about what was probably the longest lunchtime I’ve taken in, well forever, I was reminded of something else that provides us with a feast which many of us take for granted and do not appreciate as we should: The Bible. It is a banquet for the soul that we should delight in every day. We ought to approach the time we spend in it with eager anticipation, but sometimes we are reluctant to even open its treasured pages. We should relish its principles and promises, but we often choose to ignore the wisdom it provides. We can linger over the passages we’re reading, but we may routinely plow through it, quickly scan it, or even neglect to view its contents all together. Like ungrateful, spoiled children we waste the provision set before us, not regarding or understanding the consequences of our poor choice.

Psalm 119 is a beautiful chapter in the Bible that is filled with verses that speak about the value of God’s Word. Here is just a portion of it to pray out to God and ponder:

“Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me Your decrees.
With my lips I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth.
I rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways.
I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your Word.” Psalm 119: 12-16

Entering a new year often seems to give us renewed determination to change something in our lives. Perhaps 2014 can be the year to make the Word a focus and a feast that we eagerly anticipate, taste delightedly, linger over and savor, and then appreciate and apply to our lives. Let your “lunch” be like Libby’s, deliberately long and enjoying every bite!

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