This past week, a neighbor and I were talking about our favorite recipes. Out of nowhere, she said, “I do not like flour. I do not like raw eggs. I do not like baking power.” Not really sure where she was going with her statement but, in hindsight, she summed it up well. With a mischievous smile across her small framed face, she looked up and said, “But when mixed together they make wonderful biscuits.”
After we parted, I began thinking about what a wonderful gift my mom had given my brothers, sisters, and I when she left behind her favorite recipes. Have you ever been instructed to “tease an egg?” Or left to figure out what a “pinch” or “jigger” of an ingredient really meant? A few years after our mom passed, my older sisters, Jeannine and Debbie, and I found ourselves in this quandary.
It was Christmas time and we had decided to make homemade ravioli on our own, without mom. As we read mom’s recipe, we found ourselves in tears laughing so hard at her instructions. It sounded so like her! Mom’s recipe directed us to “tease an egg.” We looked at one another with quizzical expressions on our faces. Without a lot of thought, I picked up an egg and made faces at it. I asked my siblings, “Is this what teasing the egg meant?” The laughter went on for a long while as we followed the recipe.
Every family seems to have a favorite family recipe where the ingredients are a well-kept secret. When preparing a recipe for the first time, I read the instructions thoroughly to make sure I have everything perfect. Then, I take the time to measure each ingredient precisely as I eagerly look forward to a delicious outcome!
In some ways, I find life is a recipe. The difference is that there are no secret ingredients. 2 Peter 1:5-11 gives us some ingredients for an even better, more fulfilling life in Christ. Peter’s recipe:
· Begin with a personal relationship with Christ
· Fold in goodness and an equal amount of knowledge
· Stir in self-control and perseverance
· Combine a jigger of godliness and a pinch of mutual affection
· Mix thoroughly and bake with an abundance of love
I have learned by trial and error that to be a good cook takes lots of failed attempts and many hours of practice. A sure recipe to guarantee a rich and productive life is to make every effort to grow my faith and stay focused on Jesus. As Mom taught us children, when we settle for less, there is a bigger chance to stumble and fall. She encouraged us to choose the best ingredients in life if we wanted to achieve the best results. I will always treasure mom’s cookbook: her written words project her gentle voice and my sweet memory of her.
Until we are together again,
Colleen Soldate
Director of Caring Ministries