It’s Because We’re More Than Machines…We’re Humans
What is it about homemade bread that generates so much pleasure for so many?
I think it’s a combination of things. Some instinctual, some deeper.
There’s no question that the smell of fresh baked bread is one of the greatest. And what about the overwhelming sense of comfort that comes from a fresh warm slice of bread with melted butter.
For me these sensations are connected to my childhood and the contentment I felt growing up on the farm. Both of my grandmothers and my mom baked and boy, do I have some fond memories of fresh baked bread.
There’s a connection to my history and heritage that is triggered when I smell or taste fresh warm bread. I hope you have similar memories.
A couple of weeks ago I referred to Jesus feeding the 5000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. In the John 6:1-15 He performs this miracle and the crowd witnessed it.
Just the next day the crowd followed Him to the other side of the lake and looked to be satisfied with more “worldly bread”. He tells them that this bread will spoil and go bad. In John 6:25-35 He refers to Himself as the Bread of Life and they need to be looking for that Bread.
We too need to be looking for the Bread of Life.
Too often we are looking for things that the world tells us we need…the “worldly bread”. We get caught in the mundane repetition of machine-like actions. Now more than ever we are bombarded with messages of the world. We find our focus being on money, fame, popularity, importance, etc. We get caught in the “worldly bread” trap.
In Four Aromas God Loves Most, Denise Kohlmeyer, shares her love of the scent of coffee brewing and memories of her childhood. She compares this to God’s commands to the priests to burn incense and the sacrifice of animals that if performed properly were “a pleasing aroma to Him”.
Back to the question of what makes the smells of fresh bread and coffee so pleasing. I said that I thought it was both instinctual and deeper. The deeper part is, if we’re made in God’s image wouldn’t it make since that “pleasant aromas” would be pleasing to us too.
In John 17:15-21 we are told that we are in the world, not of the world. We need to be filled with the pleasant aromas and life-giving power of the “Bread of Life”. Machines can’t experience the sights, smells and sounds that we can. Remember…
We are not machines we are people made in His image.
Enjoy the aromas of life!
