Question: How can I offer my food to God?
Answer: That is a good question. You have to remember what is the actual situation… You are God’s child. So what you are doing as a child is that are coming to your Father and offering Him something and it is the love and devotion that God wants from us. It is not the apple or the money or a fantastically prepared dinner or whatever. God has everything, it is not that He needs it but He wants the love and devotion. This is what attracts God.
You see, think about it like this. Here is a little three-year-old kid out in the yard playing and he comes in and says, “Mom, I made a mud pie for you.” and he put some little flowers on it. Now does the mom need the mud pie? Is she going to really enjoy that mud pie? Of course not but she so much appreciates the thought, the love, the devotion and it makes her more endeared to her child.
So if you understand it like this than you can understand: ok, I have got… whatever I’ve got… let’s say I’ve got an apple or I’ve got a complete meal or whatever. So before I dive in and enjoy, and enjoy, and enjoy, I think about God, “God, will you please accept this offering.” You can use the Maha-mantra when offering:
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
That is a very good offering. If you want to make it a little nicer you can put a little flower on it. Some people have a little altar in their home. They have got a picture of Krishna on the altar or Lord Gauranga, and they put the food in front of the form of the Supreme Lord and again say, “Please, accept this, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna…” And it goes on up to elaborate temples with big altars, but it is the same thing. It is not like that the offering in the big elaborate temple is any more dear to God than the little offering from your heart.
Right here this mantra card has got a picture of Krishna and the Maha-mantra; a whole package right here. You can just put the food there in front of the picture. It is a relationship you are trying to develop between you and Krishna.