"This is so frustrating!" staring at the soupy mess in the pan, he shrugs and walk away.
"I can't make an omelet. It looks so easy on TV!" He mutters, looking at me for help.
"You can do it" I reply. "It just takes practice and patience"
Practice and patience, so easy to say, so hard to do!
In this day of pre-packed goodies and microwave, there is no waiting. We can have it now.
But in the scary kingdom of Culinary, a different principle reigns. Time, patience and practice are the buzz words of creating something beautiful and delicious.
Like life!
How often do we wish we could be "perfect" the first time we try something. Do you stand up the first time you try to water ski? What about swimming? Do you fly across the pool like the Olympians a few weeks ago the first time you put your foot in the water? Remember that thing called walking? Not many of us do till we see little ones struggle to take that first step. Time, practice and patience - key words for life!
Time and temperature
In cooking, timing is everything. Too much time in the oven or on the stove and the results aren't pretty. Not enough time isn't appealing either. Too hot or too cool and you throw your dinner away! Timing is essential.
We are cared for by a loving, Heavenly Father who knows just how much time and heat is needed in our lives to reveal a beautiful, complete and mature daughter or son. He never takes His eye off the clock and His strong fingers rest on the temperature control.
His timing and temperature are perfect.
Practice and Patience
When gathering ingredients for your culinary creation, you choose the best you can find.
You lay everything on the counter and follow the instructions to the letter. You watch the timer and check the temp often, anticipating a yummy treat when the buzzer sounds.
You check the pan and it's not right. Your omelet is not as high, the crust is too brown, the inside is runny!
So you give up, throw up your hands in disappointment and fling the omelet into the garbage!
No! You persevere. You read the recipe again. You ask for help. You try again! And little by little you improve your technique and soon you see the most beautiful omelet on your plate.
It is ok to mess up! It's ok not to be perfect in our walk with Christ, our relationships with others, our dealing with our kids. We learn by doing, by redoing, by forgiving others and ourselves. We are persistent, not perfect.
Our perfect God showers us with GRACE and LOVE. We are His creation, formed in His image and nurtured by His love. He does not condemn us but picks us up, holds our hand and walks with us in this life.
Each day He sees growth.
He molds our hearts to be more like Him.
He fills us with His Word
He sits with us in our quiet times.
He dances with us in our joys.
He holds us close in the dark times.
He is lovingly patient and expects us to practice, practice, practice!
