Have you ever used the Bible verse as a weapon against someone, like when your kid won’t eat veggies? Not in the gospel-spreading armor of God way (Ephesians 6:10-17) but in a you-better-listen-to-me-or-else way?
Ephesians 6:1
“1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
“Yeah! Take that, first born child of mine! Obey your momma and eat your broccoli or else you won’t live a happy, long life! Now, EAT!”
Kids not eating the healthy meals we thoughtfully cooked for them is high on the list of frustrating things they do. Some kids won’t touch a vegetable with a ten foot pole. Some dabble in deception by mushing their food around on their plate enough for it to look like they ate a bite or two. (I know this trick because this was my chosen method as a picky child – sorry mom!) Some kids may have you wrapped around their pinky finger, while you plead with them to take a bite and they are thinking to themselves “look at this chump, I’ll have that cupcake on the counter in less than five minutes.” Don’t they know that we slaved all evening in the kitchen so that they won’t have health issues twenty years from now?
Handling Frustration
If you google “how to get my kid to eat veggies”, you’ll find hundreds of “proven” methods and “experts” giving advice. For example:
Serve dessert with dinner so they won’t be pining for it.
Don’t give sugar to your kids EVER, then they will love veggies!
Hide the veggies in creative ways so they don’t know they are eating it.
Just keep giving them the food and eventually they will eat it.
Some advice is better than others, and I don’t claim to be a child nutritionist. Right now, this isn’t about the veggies. This is about us moms handling the frustration in a Christ-reflecting way while our kids (still) won’t eat veggies.
Throwing a Bible verse in their face to control them is not the best way. Neither is physically holding them down and forcing baby carrots down their throat. Jesus says:
Matthew 11:28-30
“28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Oh, how we need Christ’s rest! There are so many things that make us weary mamas. We are also wives, friends, sisters, church leaders, and business professionals. Our kids not eating their veggies might just be the thing that causes all of the plates we are spinning to come crashing to the ground. When we are carrying around heavy burdens all on our own, a single cauliflower floret being tossed to the side can trigger tears, anger, depression, feelings of hopelessness. Who knew peas could cause so much angst?
Make a mental list of all of the things that that are making you weary. Go to Jesus, right now, sit at his feet as his daughter, and pour out your heart. Tell him everything. Tell him how you feel like a terrible mom because your baby boy hasn’t eaten anything green, other than that sucker from the doctor’s office, in months. Tell him that you can’t handle all of the responsibilities you’ve been given and keep a smile on your face. Confess your weaknesses – your tendency for anger, bitterness, laziness – whatever it is for you. Sob uncontrollably. Punch a pillow. Do whatever you need to do to get it all out and leave it with Jesus. Then, actually leave it with him. He says to “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Emphasis mine) Matthew 11:29
We don’t have to feel guilty about pouring out our troubles to Jesus because he has invited us to do so. But let’s pair our pouring out with filling up with his Word. We can learn from him, as he instructs us to do so in verse 29, by reading his story. He is gentle and humble in heart and reflecting him is the key to handling frustrations. Make a commitment today to learn from Jesus every day. Pray, read, meditate, memorize. His words are what give us rest.
To put this into perspective of the veggie strikes we face, it’s our job as moms to offer our children a well balanced, healthy diet. The choice to eat it, or not, lies 100% with our children. And the ultimate outcome of their health is 100% in Gods hands. We can’t carry around the burden of worry, anxiety, control issues, or frustration and expect it to make a lick of difference. Instead, give it all to Jesus who will give us rest.
Memorize Matthew 11:28-30. It’s a good verse to hide in your heart and carry with you when your kid doesn’t eat veggies (and other times too).
This is part of a series called The “My Kid Doesn’t Eat Veggies” devotional. Click here to read more of the series. Messy Tired Love devotionals connect everyday mom moments to the truth of the gospel. Learn more here.
Welcome to Messy Tired Love! The devotionals you'll find here aim to connect your everyday mom moments to the truth of the gospel. I hold nothing back as I share my story that's filled with lots of messy, tired, but oh-so-filled-with-love moments. I have three little blessings, that together with God's Word are the inspiration for these devotionals. I hope you will be encouraged, and maybe even get a good laugh, while exploring these devotionals. Much love!
My sister used to hide her peas under her knife across the top of her plate. My parents never knew she hadn’t finished her peas. My husband and I always had the rule that if they didn’t want to eat something, they would be hungry when they fell asleep. They almost always ate the food on their plate after one time of being hungry because they refused to eat their dinner.