Cooking with God
Learning to cook with God started last year when I went to make a dessert and did not like the finished product. You see, while I might not be good at everything, one thing I am confident about is my cooking and baking skills. This is not to boast, I am not good at everything, but I know I inherited the gifts
because my family is filled with chefs and bakers. This works out perfectly considering that we need to eat to live.
From since I was 6 years old, I would eagerly wait until my Dad went into the kitchen to cook and I would ask him to pull the stool up to the kitchen counter so that I could help prepare the meal. I didn’t just want to cut up the vegetables…oh no, that was for children!! I wanted the opportunity to season the meat and play in it. I loved the feeling of using my hands to mix together all of the ingredients and to sample the seasonings. I couldn’t wait to take home economics in school…I might have been failing math and science but I was aceing home economics without even trying. It was a gift. I made my first lemon
meringue pie, by myself at age 9. I got such enjoyment from watching my family eat the pie and seeing their faces light up at the taste. So, my love for cooking and baking was born.
From since then, there was no stopping me…I had to acquire all of the latest gadgets, cookbooks and anything else that would make me a top chef and baker…except the most important ingredient…God. It never even occured to me that I should ask God into the kitchen with me. After all, it was a gift, I could do
pretty much anything in the kitchen with my eyes closed…but how wrong was that thought pattern!
As I walked through the last decade of my wilderness experience, I learned to trust God with everything. I brought Him into my everyday life, no matter how big or small the event. I even learned to ask God to pick out my outfits daily and to style my hair so that it would look beautiful and special for Him (If you look beautiful and special for God, then chances are you will be a knockout to everyone else). While this might seem strange..have you ever gotten up in the morning and can’t figure out what to wear? Or have you ever had a bad hair day? If not…then you are one of the few. After running into these challenges several times, I got fed up of trying to figure it out on my own. So, I figured, I ask God for everything else, why not try asking Him to dress me and style my hair since He made me and knew what would look best on me. I realized that I stumbled onto something gold. I tested it. On the days that I didn’t ask God for help with my hair or wardrobe, I would have to work extra hard at looking nice. On the days that I did bring God into the decision…it came easy. Try it!! Anyway…that was just a little side note to demonstrate how I learned to bring God into every detail of my life.
Back to cooking and baking…after walking through a very challenging period, I actually lost the love for cooking. Not so much for baking…I still enjoyed that, but cooking became more of a chore rather than a creative process that I enjoyed. One day last year, I chose to make a dessert from a recipe that I had
never tried. I didn’t bother to ask God if I should make the recipe or ask Him to help me in the kitchen. I just chose the recipe, my family agreed on it and I made it. It was absolutely terrible!! While the dessert came out exactly as the recipe instructed, it was still a horrible recipe and we ended up having to throw the dessert away. I was not happy!! I cannot stand throwing food away. Can we say lesson learned. All of a sudden it struck me that I left God out of this part of my life because I took it for granted, that the kitchen was my specialty so I didn’t need any additional help.
I immediately repented before God and asked Him to please forgive me for taking my gifts for granted and for excluding Him from this part of my life. You see, the same way God wants to help you through your storms, He also wants to enjoy the fun parts as well. He doesn’t want to be known only for helping you in times of trouble. He also wants to have fun with you and enjoy the things that you enjoy. After all, if you were created in His image, then obviously it is not so much that He enjoys what you enjoy…but you enjoy what He enjoys. (Food for thought..pardon the pun)
So, I begun to pray every time I went into the kitchen. I would first ask God what should be the menu for the week. Then I would ask Him to please help me make the best ‘whatever’ it was that I was cooking and baking. Believe it or not!! Every dish or dessert that I have ever made, even though I had been making it for years, turned out phenomenal. I can’t explain it!! The food would taste richer, better, succulent, tantalizing. People would try the food and comment on the exquisite taste. Not only that, it no longer felt like a chore but I could tell that I started to enjoy the creative process again.
Well, it has been about 8 or more months since God and I have been cooking together and it sure has been a fantastic experience. Normally, I choose my menu for the following week on a Friday or Saturday before going to the grocery store. Recently, God has been waking me up on a Wednesday with His menu. Let me tell you…it is soo unique and filled with different recipes and ingredients that I haven’t tried before. It is definitely a new culinary experience.
While my story is about cooking with God..it can be used as a metaphor for something else in your life. What have you excluded God from in your life…because you felt that it came natural? Or, you assumed that God would not be interested in something soo small or trivial. Let me assure you, God cares
about everything. He created everything, therefore He cares about it. He is a big God…while He is saving someone else…He can be giving you a recipe; or a creative idea for a new business; a strategy for handling a difficult client or a new look for a new season. Give Him a try…you will not be disappointed. I
personally have a great time, cooking with God!!
