5 Ways to Make Packing Lunches More Meaningful

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When the Back to School commercials started airing and the school supplies began showing up at my grocery store about a month ago, I panicked.

Don’t get me wrong, I love going back to school!  I love new beginnings and new teachers and new lunch pails!

But packing the lunch pails is a different story.

Packing lunch pails is not my favorite thing.

But every day keeps coming and every day my family and I need to eat!

So instead of grumbling and complaining about this tedious task, I am trying some alternative approaches that have been helping me have a more surrendered, worshiping heart.  I hope they help you, too!

Worship Music

Sometimes I pack the lunches before I go to bed.  Sometimes I pack them in the morning.  Either way, I like to play some worship music while I work.  It fills my mouth with all the right words and truths to keep my perspective upward.

Here are my favorite worship albums right now… (affiliate links)
Champion by Bryan and Katie Torwalt
Let It Echo by Jesus Culture
Of Dirt And Grace (Live From The Land) by Hillsong United

Inspirational Lunch Notes

I love jotting a quick note to my boys so that they get a piece of my heart for them in the middle of the day.  Often these notes will say an encouraging word or Bible verse – which actually is good for my own soul too!  Reading over the promises and life-giving words I am saying to them is a reminder to preach to myself right alongside my boys.

I made some cute FREE Printable lunchbox notes HERE and HERE that you are welcome to use!

Prayer

I love taking a few minutes to pray over my boys’ lunches when I think to do it!  Here is a little Scripture-based prayer that you could use…

“Dear Lord, I pray that this food will strengthen and nourish my child’s body to be a good student and friend today. Thank you that you satisfy the thirsty and fill the hungry with good things (Psalm 107:9).  I pray my boys will taste and see that you are good (Psalm 34:8) and that they will hunger and thirst for righteousness more than turkey sandwiches and cheese sticks (Matthew 5:6 – with my own spin ha)!  In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

Teamwork

This is the first year I am starting to employ the help of my boys with packing lunches.  It helps when you have some easy, fun supplies to work with (see my favorite lunch packing supplies HERE)!

I bet some of you probably have your kids do the whole thing themselves.  That is awesome and you go, mama!  I am slowly getting there as I teach and train them what is an acceptable amount of pretzels (the entire bag) versus protein or fruit/veggie (tiny morsel).  But truly, it is such a good and important responsibility for our kiddos to have as members of a family!  Y’all are a team and work together to love and serve each other.

Packing Lunches is Kingdom Work

There is a story in the Bible about a little boy who offered his lunch to Jesus and then saw the Lord use it to feed over 5,000 people (read the full passage HERE).

Do you ever stop to think that on the other end of that story was a precious mama who had faithfully packed her son’s lunch?  She had NO idea that that one task – mundane and tedious as it was – would be the catalyst for something so miraculous.

Isn’t that motherhood?  So much of what we do seems dull and monotonous.  Wash the dishes, do the laundry, wipe the boogers, clean the same rooms over and over and over again – and yes, pack the lunches.  But it is often in these seemingly ‘meaningless’ tasks that a glorious opportunity unfolds for us to make His name known.

So when I am tempted to get discouraged about having to wake up and pack YET ANOTHER lunch, I remember that it’s being used by God to do far more than I could ever imagine.

For His glory.

Keep on, sweet mamas!

Joyfully,

Julie 🙂