Yesterday's Bread

As we make our way through fall, my kitchen leaps into its finest season. By now, we have figured out our school schedules, and things are humming along towards the holidays. Every night, everyone is hungry, and - in finding ways to enjoy the kitchen grind and keep them fed- sourdough found its way into my routine. In my best Frankenstein voice, I hear myself saying, “It’s alive!” way too often. But in fact, it is — growing, bubbling, needing daily attention. You can’t just toss it on the counter and walk away. It demands presence. Feed it too late, and it weakens. Neglect it too long, and you’ll be starting all over again.

Around here, our sourdough starter has become part of the weekly chatter. It sits near the oven vent next to my cooking utensils and favorite burner, in sight daily and quietly reminding me that some things only thrive through daily care. I don’t bake bread every day, but every day I must attend to the sourdough. I aim for nothing to go to waste, and we make snack pretzels and pizza dough from the discard more than anything else. Still, each morning, I check it — feeding it, stirring it, watching for signs of healthy life and growth — making sure it is ready when it is needed.  

Homemade bread — real, genuine, fresh-from-the-oven bread — doesn’t stay around for long. In fact, when the loaf bakes golden and fragrant, it’s often gone before the end of the day. But if there is any left over, it is unlikely to last on the counter. Like the sourdough starter, it often loses its excitement and either becomes stale or moldy and useless very quickly, even if left alone for just one day. It’s a lot of work. I get why people name sourdough starters and personify them as a troubled child. I am all too aware of the break in the fridge when life gets busy. And I know how it feels to think all is well, only to find a failed effort for lack of the daily steps being taken.

As I went about my kitchen routines, words from a concert I attended recently came rushing back to me:

“You cannot live on yesterday’s bread.” – Ryan Ellis

Those words hit me right in the heart — because it’s true not only in the kitchen but in my walk with God.

We cannot live today on the time we spent with Him yesterday. We can’t rely on last week’s prayer, last month’s spiritual high, or last year’s breakthrough to sustain us right now. Just like the sourdough starter, our faith is alive — and living things need tending.

Jesus Himself said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” — John 6:35

This powerful truth deepens the lesson: just as we can’t rely on yesterday’s bread to nourish our bodies, we need to seek Him daily for our spiritual sustenance. He offers us fresh provision, inviting us to come to Him again and again, trusting that He is always enough for each new day.

We read in scripture that even in the wilderness, where God’s chosen people were desperately asking for answers and a plan to be revealed to them, God gave His people manna, one day at a time.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day.’” — Exodus 16:4

He didn’t send enough for the week. He sent enough for today. Because He wanted more than just a Sabbath day. He wanted His people to trust Him daily and to come back tomorrow for more.

Our relationship with Him works the same way. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22–23), but so should our surrender, our repentance, and our devotion. Yesterday’s time with the Lord was real, it was good — but it’s gone. We need new, fresh, sustaining, living bread every day to grow and be spiritually ready!

So, as I feed my sourdough starter this week — stirring life back into what could easily go flat — I’m reminded of the need to feed my soul too. To go to the Father, daily, and ask for my portion of grace, patience, and strength for today.

Because in both bread and faith, there’s beauty in the process — and the outcome is always worth the effort.

What’s one way you can “feed your faith” today and not rely on yesterday’s bread?

Until next time, keep following the Plott, and I will be praying for us all. 💛

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