For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
It sounds morbid but it’s not…I think. My wife Judy and I have been married forever and that means we are not quite as young as we used to be. Sometimes, to pass the time, we joke around and sometimes that includes what would happen if one of us was to uh, well, you know, pass. So, I’ve always told her if she was to go first, I wouldn’t remarry…I would just get a dog. I laugh and she laughs but then she always assures me that would never work. She and I both know just how much I depend on her to do life. I can clean house…kinda. I can wash clothes…sorta…you know, all in one big load but there is one thing that I can’t do. I can’t cook.
When she leaves town to babysit or whatever, the menu at the Taylor house changes dramatically. If it is anything more than grits in the microwave, a sandwich, or a frozen dinner…we are in deep weeds. So, the other day, when my friend David began talking about cooking, I started listening. He is a great cook…actually on that particular day it was a smoked Boston butt with the fixings and a homemade, handmade peach cobbler with homemade ice cream. Like I said…he can cook.
As we were talking about cooking, he mentioned that he had a scale and instead of measuring all the ingredients, he weighed all the ingredients (in grams). So instead of a cup of flour you might have 283 grams of flour. He said that most recipes give the amounts in grams too. And, if you do this, it becomes really easy to follow a recipe and if I could follow a recipe, I should be able to cook. Boom! Cooking problem solved and I could still get a dog.
The big thing about the scale is that it is just more accurate. A packed cup of flour is probably a lot more than a cup of flour loosely put in the cup. Well, the more accurate the measurements are, the better the end result. Are you tracking with me? The scale is a game changer and guess what? So is God. Just like the scale would help me stay on track with the recipe, so God can and will help me walk the path of life. With Him, life isn’t perfect, but it is better…so much better.
The reason I am a terrible cook isn’t that I can’t read, it is that I want to change the recipe. I always figure if one cup of sugar is good…two would certainly be better. If a teaspoon of cinnamon is good in an apple pie…well, two should be twice as good. But if I had a scale and was willing to follow the scale…I could make a perfect pie every time. And when I, when we, are willing to follow God in the recipe of life…we can cook up some good pies…trust me.
I have grown to love something that is recorded in one of the Old Testament books. In Jeremiah 29:11 God says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I know that is written to the nation of Israel, but I also know the truth is written for every one of God’s kids. So, as you are whipping up days and experiences in the kitchen of life, be sure and invite God to come along. Follow Him and the disasters are fewer and farther apart. When the dust from the flour clears, you can be assured that, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 