The screen door banged and feet shuffled in at our back door on summer afternoons. The occasion was the silent call of the delicious aroma of Mom’s homemade bread! One by one my friends and I waited in line as Mom cut open the first loaf and slid butter across it as she handed us each our slice.

I don’t remember anyone standing outside the door waiting to be invited in. She never made an announcement and but Mom’s welcome to her kitchen was quietly understood. In Mom’s kitchen we all knew we had one piece of bread with our name on it.

Now of course we went by Mom’s rules that said we had to wait for the bread to cool. We could not expect a second slice and most importantly we needed to say thank you!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God   Philippians 4:6

There are so many things we are asking God for today. We ask for His help with temptations, difficulties, emergencies and financial needs. Yet often we have such low expectations of God’s answer it seems as if we have forgotten the aroma of the grace of God. And on those occasions after we have received an answer to our prayers do we just say, “We give you thanks in Jesus name” without truly being grateful? I am struck with the fact that Jesus, who is the creator of all things, and was there at the birth of our planet, said, “thank you”.  As Jesus prayed for the multiplying of the bread perhaps He smelled the fresh bread being baked in His Father’s heavenly ovens and with great joy and expectancy gave thanks!