Too many cooks in the kitchen. I remember feeling this way sometimes when my kids were little and I was trying to get dinner ready. They were scrambling around the kitchen bickering and whining at that bewitching time of the day when everyone was tired and hungry and cranky. They wanted the dinner I was preparing, but their actions were impeding the process. There were times when I’d want to (and probably too often, did) scream, “Just let me do this!”
On the other hand, some of my favorite memories are of spending time with my kids baking cookies, making homemade rolls and fixing Thanksgiving dinner together. Same number of bodies in the kitchen, but we were all on the same page with a common goal. They wanted to be part of the process and trusted that I knew what ingredients to use to make something delicious. Their little hands were working alongside me. Precious, precious times.
I was thinking about the phrase, “placing it in God’s hands” this morning. I just don’t think that’s how it works. We don’t give things to God. They are already His. His hands are already cradling every event, situation and person in our lives. WE are in His hands. Everything we do or experience rests in the palm of the One who loves us with the fiercest, deepest paternal love. He has never left “the kitchen”.
Our problem is not giving things to God. Our problem is our grubby little hands are trying to take charge. We want to be the chief cook. We are “hungry” and want what we want when we want it. But we don’t even know the recipe. So we run around whining and complaining and telling God to hurry up with “dinner”, and when it’s not happening fast enough, we grab the spoon and furiously stir, moving things around, but frustrated that we can’t complete the meal.
But what if we trust His hands and their timing? What if we wait in eager anticipation as He adds each secret ingredient that will give our lives a unique and delicious flavor? Joining Him in the process. Asking Him to show us each step of the recipe so that we don’t skip the parts of the process that are so necessary for this glorious feast. When we stop whining long enough to see that wonderful meals take time, we begin to notice the skill of His hands and want to be a part of making it all come together. Not to hurry things along, but to relish the time spent together in the kitchen, learning from the Master Chef, and witnessing the magic of a beautiful meal as the end result.
Jesus, You are the Cook. I’m Your apprentice. You’ve got the recipe and all of its ingredients at Your fingertips. Sometimes I want to skip some of those ingredients because they don’t taste good on their own. But You know that the combination of those ingredients makes the perfect end product. Help me not to whine when I’m hungry or tired in life and panic by trying to grab the spoon from Your hand. Help me to stand next to You and watch as You create miracles I can’t yet see, with every stir. When You ask me to join You, may I be ready and willing to jump in and create with You. I want to enjoy the tastes and smells of the preparation as much as I enjoy the completed meal.
Jeremiah 29:11 – 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.
Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
