Most of us have a favorite recipe that our Grandmother made. For me it would be chocolate cake with chocolate icing – not frosting – icing! I can still smell it sitting on the counter in the kitchen.
One of my favorite recipes to make is my Mother-In-Laws shortcake, especially during strawberry season! For the first 35 years of our marriage we tried to make this recipe, only to have it fall short every time.
Just a word of warning men, never I mean NEVER say, “It does not taste like Mom’s used to!”
On a trip home a few years ago we discovered the issue, our copy of the recipe was missing an ingredient. It seems one teaspoon of baking soda can make a big difference!
One of my greatest joys as a Grandfather is cooking with my Grand kids. My oldest has been cooking with me since she sat in a car seat on the counter.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to make Grandma’s strawberry shortcake with one of my surrogate Grand kids (she adopted me)! We had a great time mixing the ingredients and preparing the recipe for the oven.
Once the batter was in the oven, the next step was to cut up the strawberries. A few quick instructions and we were slicing and dicing! After a few minutes she quietly said, “Mommy has never let me cut before.” Good information to know and time for additional instruction!
A short lesson on proper cutting technique and finger preservation moved the project forward. My most important rule was, no blood in the strawberry shortcake! On a couple occasions she stopped to examine her fingers and ask if the red stuff on her fingers was strawberry or blood!
Soon the bowl was filled with perfectly cut strawberries and no finger matter. YES!
How often do we stop to consider that God finds the same kind of joy as He works in our lives? He loves doing life with His children as He gives instructions, provides the necessary resources, and helps to equip us for the next step. He finds joy in our success and gets excited as He awaits to see how the final product turns out!
Fortunately for us, God is very patient in the process. Like a Grandfather working with someone he loves, God will patiently teach us how to achieve the desired results. But we must:
- Follow Instructions
If we had not followed the recipe as instructed, the shortcake would not have turned out.
If Mak had not followed my instructions on how to use the knife properly, it could have resulted in stitches (and my death)!
For our lives to turn out according to God’s design, we must be willing to listen to what the Father is telling us.
Some have called the Bible, God’s Instruction Manual, but in truth the Bible is so much more than that. Christ said that His words, “Are Life!”
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
We would be wise to listen to the words that give us life!
- Focus On The Task
While baking, distractions can cause use to miss or double an ingredient that can ruin the whole dish.
If you have ever lost your focus while cutting something up, you know that there can be painful consequences. And you can violate the rule of no blood in the strawberry short cake!
The calling (the task) God has given us requires our full attention. If we become distracted the end result could affect eternity.
- Care About What We Are Doing
As we cooked that day it was important that our culinary creation turn out right because we were excited to share our with our family.
As Christians, God has left us here with instructions to accomplish His will. The work we are doing is eternally important and it’s for His (our) family. Because of that, we need to be passionate about how we go about it. We cannot afford to just be going through the motions.
God has given us the recipe to produce the desired results. But the end result depends on how closely we follow His instructions, focus on the task and care about what we are doing!
REFLECTION:
Have you checked the instructions today?
In what area of your calling do you need to refocus?
How will you demonstrate that you care today?
If this has been helpful to you, please share it with a friend or leave a comment!
Over the last week we have been blessed to have all five of our grand kids together. For us it only happens about once every three years or so.
Three of the five (using the wisdom bestowed upon them) quickly made it up the rock. One declared, “I don’t need any help, I have climbed rocks before!”
After all, we have climbed rocks before haven’t we?