The Soggy Bread Principle

Read: Ecclesiastes 11

Cast your bread upon the water, for you will find it after many days. (Eccl. 11:1 NKJV)

This first verse of Chapter 11 of the Book of Ecclesiastes has always rather intrigued me. I remember first encountering this verse as a young teenager, and thinking, “What good is soggy bread??!!”

The intervening years, in which I've worked to build a career as a writer/playwright have, I believe, taught me more about the actual meaning and significance of this verse. When I first set out to write something as short as an article for an academic journal, or as  long as a 90-minute play, I usually have no idea whether or not a journal will actually accept the article for publication, or if my new play will find its way to production. I must first invest the time and effort of writing, and then submitting, a piece in order to even have a hope of seeing that work in print or on the stage. I lightheartedly refer to this as the “Soggy Bread Principle,” acknowledging that those of us who have swallowing difficulties find it much easier to eat bread when it’s soggy than when it’s dry!

For those of us who have acknowledged and accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, there is another dimension to the Soggy Bread Principle: Jesus invites us to entrust Him with the ultimate results of our efforts, trusting that He alone knows how and when to bring the bread we have cast out upon the water back to us in just the right way, in just the right time, and with just the right level of sogginess to make it of the most benefit to us and to others.

Gracious and faithful Lord Jesus, Thank you for the abilities and opportunities that you give me to figuratively cast bread upon the water. Please help me not to squander these opportunities, but rather to diligently make the most out of them, trusting You to bring the best results for my good and Your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.