He's Still Mixing

…be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Cooking brings me joy!  I love to cook and feed people and entertain.  My food is pretty simple but something about the act of pulling a bunch of things together to create a table full of food that brings people together and nourishes them gives me so much happiness.  I’m the kind of cook that views recipes as a mere suggestion.  There are a few things I don’t like the flavor of, like nutmeg, so you can be sure I will leave that out of every recipe that calls for it but every now and again, just to practice discipline I’ll find a new recipe and follow it perfectly.  As I’m following the directions I often argue about it.  I’m convinced there is too much of something or too little of something else but those are the times I’m usually happily surprised with the end result. 

I think I take that attitude with me beyond the kitchen too.  I can look at things and think, well that doesn’t go together or doing those things will never work out or look right. Our human eyes are often too quick to see the disaster instead of the grace.  Whether I’m in the kitchen or the classroom or out and about in the world,  I need to remember that sometimes God puts things into the mix for reasons I don’t see in the beginning.  I came across this little farmers prayer story the other day and it really hit my heart.  There is a lot of crazy stuff being thrown into the mix these days so this brought me peace.  I read it and took a breath to remember the master mixer is in charge!

A pastor asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.  Lord, “I hate buttermilk”, the farmer began.  The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and  wondered where this was going.  The farmer loudly proclaimed, “Lord I hate lard.” Now the pastor was growing concerned. Without missing a beat, the farmer continued. “And Lord you know I don’t care for raw white flour.” The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn’t the only one to feel uncomfortable.  Then the farmer added, “But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love fresh biscuits.  So Lord when things come up that we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what you’re saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing.  It will probably be better than biscuits. Amen”

Today, I think I’ll just enjoy the biscuits!

A Seed To Plant:  Make a list of those places you have a hard time seeing God’s good and grace, and ask him to grant you patience and trust while he finishes mixing all the parts together.

Blessings on your day!​