I’ll be honest. I haven’t been the most sincere thanksgiver-of-food.

I might say that I’m thankful for God and the food, and I might run a quick #DearGodthankyouforthefood in my head, but my gratitude was lacking.

The truth is, I didn’t value food enough to be thankful for it.

Sure, I love food, as my friends would attest, but only as a social and gastronomical experience. But I took it for granted that food would always be on my table.

Which meant I used to skip my meals a lot. I would skip meals simply because I was too lazy to prepare food, and too picky to settle for “just anything that would fill my stomach”.

The result? I end up on my power-saving mode – like my iPhone – where I have enough juice to stay switched on, but not enough to do anything worthwhile, without a risk of fizzling out.

If I feel more secure when my phone’s battery level is above 70%, shouldn’t I watch my own energy level with as much fervour? (I can almost hear my mom saying “I told you so.”)

Our giving-of-thanks with each meal reminds us to look to God every opportunity we get (Psalm 34:1), even in things that feel mundane.

Gratitude towards God injects wonder back into our soul that so easily goes on autopilot – which is not a good mode. We’re supposed to be intentional about the discipleship process.

When we’re attuned with God, we are conscious of God in our daily dealings.

Go back to Primary School science. You remember plants and photosynthesis? Plants convert light energy into chemical energy. That’s their food, to help them do their thing as plants – grow deeper roots, bear more fruit.

That’s us, too. Food is about having the energy to not just survive, but to grow deeper roots – love God – and bear more fruit – love your neighbour.

We need energy to contend for our faith.

Food is about having the energy to not just survive, but to grow deeper roots – love God – and bear more fruit – love your neighbour.

We need energy to work with all our heart, to pray when we don’t feel like it, to love when it’s inconvenient, to worship when we’re weak, to intercede when we’re limited, to rejoice when every fibre of our being says otherwise, to hope when bleakness tries to befriend us, to resist the devil, to guard our hearts.

It may seem pretty obvious to you, but it took a loving nudge from God to remind me that if I am to do all that, I have to make sure my body is ready for the battle ahead. In my case, that means bothering to have my meals consistently.

I didn’t want to be caught in a situation where I’m too physically weak to help someone in need or too lethargic to intercede in prayer.

So even as we pray for divine strength from God, it’s worthwhile to consider if we have been mindful to take care of our diets – from which we obtain physical strength – such that we’re doing our best to be good stewards of our health and resources.

I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. (1 Corinthians 9:26, MSG)

So, my grace these days goes something like this: “Thank you God for giving me the food I have in front of me now, and in such abundance. As I gain strength from this meal, remind me and help me to love You more and to serve Your people better today.”

How does yours go?