People are fed and nourished throughout the scriptures—some in traditional ways, some by mystery and miracle. Some are women living at the edge of crushing poverty, desperate to feed their children, one meal away from starvation or death. Unfortunately, that reality is present in our world too. One in six children in the United States experiences food insecurity, according to Feeding America, a nonprofit network of U.S. food banks.
It may sound cliché to say that it takes a village, but of course, it does. Many Indigenous societies are known for favoring a communal model for raising children. I’ve found our Western model of the self-sufficient nuclear family to be neither realistic nor helpful. Giving and receiving nourishment as a community, regardless of a blood connection, is a core Christian practice. God is with us through the love and care of others.
You are the physical, tangible presence of Christ in this world.
This message is an excerpt from “Family matters: We do it together” by Lisa A. Smith in the April 2021 issue of Gather.
Daily Grace has been offering you things to ponder and things to pray about for more than 10 years. For free. Women of the ELCA provides many other free online resources, too—see welca.org/resources. Please support Women of the ELCA at welca.org/give.
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