Play Food

Two of my granddaughters were here for the morning.
The older one, who is two-years-old, loves to play in Grandma’s big girl room.
It is the room that used to be my youngest daughter’s room.
It is now where the older grandchildren can sleep once they are out of a crib and in a bed.

A tall bookcase holds the stuffed animals that were favorites of my own children.
They were not the ones they slept with, rather they were the ones they used for play.
Muppets and Sesame Street characters are there.
Curious George, Paddington Bear, Raggedy Ann and Andy, and Velveteen Rabbit are there.

The room is painted a warm, country yellow.
The primary colors on the comforter and the stuffed animals on the shelf, brighten the room.
It is a place I would like to be if I was a little girl.
It seems to be the place my granddaughters want to be as well.

The play kitchen, that my children used to play with, is there.
A large basket holds the play food that we have accumulated over the years.
The tea kettle whistles, the frying pan sizzles with no batteries.
Kid power, I used to say to my children, which was always my choice of toys for them.

I am seeing the same things that were used for so many year through new eyes.
To see their delight, as they make Grandma breakfast or tea, is joy to my heart.
To reach for Grover, Big Bird, or Elmo and put them on the chair, makes me smile.
I have seen this before.

I sat on the large window seat bench my husband built for our daughter.
My granddaughter was serving cupcakes to me that just came out of the oven.
The sound of eating is expected, which always has to be a bit more animated than usual.
She scooped ice cream into bowls that looked like cones.

I found two sets of wonderful play food at the sale I go to each year.
This twice-a-year sale has been something I have gone to for the past thirty years.
This year, because of the virus, the April sale and the October sale are not happening.
How I will miss it; how excited I will be when it resumes.

I looked at the wooden food that looks so realistic.
An apple can be “cut” with a pretend wooden knife.
The Velcro that is holding the apple pieces together make a sound when the knife is used.
The pieces fall easily apart and sound as if they are really being cut.

My two older granddaughters love this wooden play food.
Bread can be sliced.
Pears can be sliced.
Strawberries, watermelon, cucumbers, and tomatoes can be sliced with the sound of Velcro.

No matter how realistic the food appears, it is not real.
To a small child, the food is real.
To a small child, the food is something that can be served to Grandma.
It’s as real as it’s going to be when you are two years old.

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:17)

God set up a sacrificial system for His people to follow.
Day after day, sacrifices were offered for their sin.
Once a year, the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies inside the tabernacle.
He went in with the blood of bulls or goats, since there is no forgiveness without blood.

The High Priest offered a sacrifice, first for his own sin and then the sin of the people.
There were no chairs in the tabernacle because the work of the High Priest was never done.
Blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin, so the sacrifices were offered over and over again.
Only the Blood of the Lamb of God can take away the sin of the world.

The sacrificial system was a copy, a shadow of the things to come.
The sacrificial system was necessary to show the people their sin and their need of a Savior.
Day after day, blood needed to be shed as atonement for sin.
There was no assurance of forgiveness.

The wooden play food, with the Velcro in between the slices, looks like the real thing.
It is not; it is a copy, a shadow of the real food I have in our kitchen.
The wooden food offers no nourishment.
The wooden food points to the real thing.

For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. (Hebrews 8:7)

There is nothing wrong with the wooden food as play food.
However, it is not adequate for real nourishment.
It is a copy of the food each of my granddaughters will prepare one day.
For now, it points to what they will make when they are older.

The sacrifices of bulls and goats pointed to the true Sacrifice.
The true, spotless Lamb of God shed His blood for the atonement of our sin.
Many still cling to the shadow.
Only those who, by His Spirit know the difference, will cling to the real thing.

No copy.
No shadow.
The real thing.
Jesus, the Lamb of God, who sat down once and for all.

 

2 responses to “Play Food”

1. How blessed your grandchildren are to have you to visit! I wonder how many Moms have krpt their children’s toys for grandchildren to play with? God bless all of you.

   Reply

   • Sue,
     It is such a joy to see my granddaughters play with the same toys.
     Another generation to love.
     God is good.
     Gina

     Reply