The appetite of workers works for them; their hunger urges them on.
Proverbs 16:26  (NRSV)

What is your morning routine after arising from sleep and before heading off to school or work? Where is breakfast in the schedule? Perhaps your schedule changes on the weekends.

Breakfast or brunch must be at least one hour after I take a medication that I have taken for years! So I rise earlier than some who can get up, bathe/shave, dress, grab breakfast, and go! I begin drinking coffee and may read, write or listen to TV before eating breakfast. On Saturdays, especially if I am going to work in the yard, I take the medication, dress, forego the coffee, do the yard work and then come in, bathe, redress and have breakfast or brunch.

From what I know of Amish, Mennonite, or Pennsylvania Dutch farmers, they get up, dress, perhaps grab a cup of coffee and then go out to begin early farm chores. After working for awhile they come in from the fields with a hearty appetite … ready to enjoy a substantial breakfast. “Their hunger urges them on.” This meal might include: eggs, breakfast meats (bacon, ham, sausage or scrapple), potatoes, biscuits, toast or muffins; sautéed apples, juice, coffee and milk, with butter and jams, jellies or preserves.

Once the farmers have been satisfied at the table, they are ready to resume their daily chores. “Their appetite has worked for them.”

Knowledgeable people tell us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that rule is not just for children. After the rest and sleep we have received, the body and mind need refueling. We need more than coffee. Not eating breakfast hinders our productivity. While our schedule may not allow us to have a full breakfast, a bowl of cereal or a breakfast bar at least fuel us as we begin another day full of activities. “Our hunger urges us on!”

While you may begin your day with Bible reading and prayer, be sure to have, better yet, enjoy breakfast, to prepare you for the day’s activities whether you are a farmer, a student or other worker!

Prayer

O God, we thank You for a good appetite. Sometimes we fail to realize just what a blessing that is until we have lost our appetite. We thank You for the good foods we enjoy at breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack time. It is good to be hungry in the morning as we begin another day’s activities. It is also good to gather around the table and to share a meal with family and friends later in the day. In our busy world, we are thankful for those times when we can gather together to share table fellowship. Thank You, Lord. Amen.