Monday Musings:
During these pandemic days, I was thinking about all the things I miss from church. One of those things was the potlucks we had and will have again when this passes. There are so many good cooks and there were always so many dishes. All the food made me think back to my childhood. When I was growing up, I always loved going to my Aunt Lois' home. She was the best cook I ever knew. My favorite was her cherry pie. But she made a great chocolate cake as well.
One day she was making one of those chocolate cakes and I was watching her. As she began to mix in the ingredients, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. She was putting all kinds of stuff into that big bowl. I thought I would sample the ingredients as she added them. There was sugar, that was okay, but there was also salt, baking soda, eggs, baking powder, and flour, but these things didn't taste nearly as good as the sugar. Then came the chocolate, I knew that would make it all perfect, so I grabbed a big piece of chocolate and stuck it in my mouth. Oh my! "This chocolate has gone bad," I shouted. (It was so bitter.) But Aunt Lois said, "Just wait."
After everything was mixed up, she asked me if I wanted to lick the beaters. (I realized that this was an important job, so I agreed to do it). Immediately, I realized that if the cake turned out anything like the mix it would be wonderful. And it was!
Sometimes, we in the church can't imagine how things are going to work out for the good, but then somehow God works God's miracles. Sometimes, the ingredients just don't look like they are right but, if you give them enough time and work them in together using God's directions, everything comes out just like it should. We are all important ingredients of the church and together we make up a great church. God bless you all.
Peace,
Skip
Pastor James "Skip" French is the pastor of Highland Christian Church, 1500 Forest Hills Blvd., Bella Vista. Opinions expressed are those of the author.