Cold Eggs and Warm Hearts

Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), The Lord Is My Shepherd, 1926

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20, KJV).”

Many years ago, a farmer’s wife, Nell, prepared breakfast for her husband. Upon completing the eggs, she yelled, “Eb! Breakfast is ready!” Eventually, Eb shuffled into the room and sat at the table. Silently, he admired the breakfast feast his wife had prepared. “Well, don’t just sit there. Let’s eat, I’ve got to be at the beauty parlor in 25 minutes,” Nell barked. She frantically served her plate and began eating. “Aren’t we forgetting something?” Eb asked. “What?” Nell mumbled through a mouthful of food. “The prayer," he exclaimed. Nell rolled her eyes and said, “O.K. Well, make it quick.”

Eb began, “Dear God, I thank you for this wonderful breakfast…” “Amen!!” Nell interrupted and resumed eating. “Nell, I’m not finished,” Eb admonished his wife. “Hang on for just a little while.” Unhappily, Nell stopped.

Eb continued his prayer, “Dear God, I want to thank you for all of this breakfast. “First, I want to thank you for our cow, Elsie, who provided us with the milk in the biscuits and in the butter.”
Nell became increasingly agitated as he continued. “I don’t want to forget to thank you for the chickens that laid these eggs. Also, I want to thank you for the hog we killed that provided us with the fine smelling ham.”

Nell’s blood pressure continued to soar as Eb pressed on, “Lord, I want to thank you for the folks that built our new refrigerator. Thanks for allowing me to have a good crop this year so I could pay for it.” Nell gripped the table, as if she was about to explode.

Finally, Eb closed his prayer by saying, “And, God, thanks for giving me such a wonderful wife. Nell has been so faithful to me.” As Nell heard Eb’s kind words, she became less agitated. “I appreciate all the fine things she does for me. She gave me some of the most wonderful children. She even cooked this breakfast in spite of her bad back. Again, God we are grateful for all of your blessings. In the name of Jesus, AMEN.”

Following the prayer, Nell was speechless. She looked at Eb lovingly as he took a bite of his eggs. Then, Eb said, “I’m sorry Nell. I guess I prayed too long. The eggs are cold.” In a tender voice, Nell said, “Honey, that’s O.K. It’s better to have cold eggs than to have a cold heart.”