Slaving Away

Today, my roommate and I cooked for a friend's wedding. We planned the menu, shopped for the food, cooked the meal and served it at the reception. I even wore black pants and a white shirt to make myself look the professional caterer part. If you know me, I'm not a caterer. I'm not a chef. I'm not a wedding planner. I just enjoy cooking.

I grew up with sports all around me in my family. If you cut my family with a surgical knife, I wouldn't be surprised if the color of their blood was green and yellow (for the A's) or black and gold (for the Steelers) or royal blue and gold (Warriors) or white and blue (for Penn State), etc. Watching sports in my family is a year-round event. While I enjoyed going to the A's games and playing baseball with my siblings and dad, I wasn't into watching sports like my family. Except for that one time I filled in for a player at a Queen of the Mountain tournament in high school, I didn't play for any school teams. Every one of my siblings has been involved on an athletic team in high school. I sometimes felt that I had disappointed my parents because I wasn't really talented athletically. However, it was only in my own eyes that I felt like the black sheep. In retrospect, being athletic wasn't really a virtue that my parents encouraged.

I was involved in things like 4-H, babysitting and being a docent for the local art gallery. There were times when I felt bad that I had nothing to show for my achievements-there weren't tournaments for babysitting (just babysitting marathons), there wasn't a banquet for reading books or an award for making the chili cheese fondue recipe I learned in my microwave cooking class. I mean, which of my siblings or peers could appreciate my skills in giving a tour around an art gallery? As a kid, I really wanted to make my parents proud of me and there were times that I indulged in my own pity parties (nobody else was invited because I was so self-centered) because I thought that poor me wasn't good at sports.

And, as a kid, I really tried my best in school but for some reason, academics didn't seem to come easily for me. Learning to read was difficult for me and then at age 7, it finally clicked. From then on, you wouldn't find me without a book even if it meant getting carsick from reading. In other academic areas, I felt like a blockhead. I don't know if it was that I was truly thick or if academics were harder for me, but I hosted my own pity parties because I wasn't as smart as other members in my family. And while my perspective has changed, I still fight that insecurity that I am not gifted academically and have to remind myself that I'm not totally stupid.

Looking back, I can see that being talented at sports isn't the be all and end all. In fact, other than teaching their own children how to play and stay fit, being athletic hasn't crossed over into other life skills for my siblings. Other than teaching, academics haven't played a huge role in my adult life either.

I could probably attribute the organizational skills and responsibility I learned while babysitting, being a docent and yes, being the historian in 4-H to how I live my life today. That microwave cooking class I took was the impetus for my interest in cooking today. However, if it wasn't for the Lord showing me to get the focus off of myself, I wouldn't be able to use those gifts for His glory. Instead, I'd probably be stuck in my house, reading a book and feeling sorry for my poor, stupid and unathletic self.

Over the course of my spiritual walk, I've learned that I've tipped the balance to the "Pleasing Man" side rather than the "Pleasing God" side. I am convicted for the times that I cared too much what others (including my family and parents) thought of me rather than what God thought of me. I've also learned that while I hate to think of myself as this, I am really selfish and I enjoy the accolades from others. These two combinations create a deadly cocktail that inhibits me from being useful to God.

God doesn't care if we can cook or play sports or if we're academically gifted. He ultimately wants us to serve and rely on Him. The talents we have are from Him and for Him. For me, it always boils down to this: Whatever I do, I am to work for the Lord, not for man because it is the Lord Christ I am serving. I consider myself a slave for Christ-I must please my Master.

Today, as my roommate and I hurriedly set off to cook this morning, I reflected on the fact that I couldn't cook for 73 people without the Lord's strength and hand being involved in it. I couldn't do it well without Him giving me a desire to learn and cook for others. I couldn't have planned everything to go so smoothly without His sovereignty.

I know if you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, all of this sounds foolish. However, I am reminded that the message of the Cross is folly to those who don't know Him, but to those who are saved, it's the power of God. These are the virtues that please my parents-not the strikes that I throw, the good grades in school and certainly not my cooking skills.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is youra life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory-Colossians 3:1-4



Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ-Colossians 3:23-24

But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak."-Exodus 4:10-12

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God-II Corinthians 3:5

The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD-II Chronicles 30:12

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen-Hebrews 13:20-21

We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute-I Corinthians 4:10