Baking Bread With God
The story of Mary and Martha has always rubbed me the wrong way. Almost every time I heard it spoken on Mary was the “good guy” and Martha was the “bad guy”. In my head, I totally get what Martha was feeling. There was lots to do and it had to feel like no one was helping. The food is not going to cook itself. Yet Jesus still told Martha that she was anxious and troubled. Mary had chosen the good portion and that should not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:38-42)
I’ve sat on this scripture, chewed on it, thought about, prayed through it. Martha was a rushed, crazy mess. Can anyone else relate? That is totally me! I am rushing through everything! What more can I try to fit into my day? As I thought through this and asked God to make more sense of it, this is what He showed me.
The journey is the experience. I’m not getting anywhere faster by rushing through life. I’m missing precious moments by trying to get to my destination. Not realizing if I looked around I’m already there. By having this rushed, crazy, running around style of life, I am missing out. I am not taking the time to sit Jesus’ feet. I am not taking the time to be with God. I am not getting to know Him. I am impatient.
God showed me a picture of Him and me making a loaf of bread. He showed me the yeast slowly taking its time to dissolve in the warm, sugary water bath but showing a big bubbly reaction. Then we added flour and it took time to rest and to rise. I was super impatient. God told me about the reaction going on under the towel covering the dough. He revealed the bigger dough and my eyes got big and wide with excitement. “This must be the point where we bake it.” I think. Then God kneads the dough down. I am immediately upset! All that progress is ruined. God explained the dough needs this so the gluten can be stretched and more bonds can be made. If we baked the dough as it was it would have been dense and not at big as it could be. Then we kneaded the dough and let it rise a second time. We baked the bread. God explained because we went through the kneading process multiple times the bread is bigger and lighter with more to share. It is a better bread.
I am impatient. I don’t want to wait for the bread to rise. I don’t want to wait for the next thing in my life. I want to skip through the process. That process though is what is growing me. I need to be stretched and broken down. There are things in me that need to be broken down. I am patient and wait out the “rising”, wait out the “kneading”. New and better things will be made. I will have more to share. I will be a better person.
XOXO,
Poppy Seed Kitchen
