Keep It Fresh

June 2, 2023

We love to cook ahead. It’s refreshing to go to the refrigerator shortly before a meal and find a choice of meats and vegetables that only need heating. That means no pots and pans to wash, thanks to the microwave! I understand that some of you would rather not eat leftovers. You are blessed, I think, with a spouse who enjoys washing dishes!

Recently, though, I find we overdid it. We needed to be out of town for a few days, and the refrigerator was full. Oops!

I was determined not to discard any of this wonderful food. We made a list of meals before the trip and scheduled a meat and two vegetables per meal. Two servings of meat had to go to the freezer, but other than that, well, we feasted!

So why was there a slight dissatisfaction? It’s because following a set list of foods to eat left no room for surprise! I like to be (pleasantly) surprised. There’s a whole lot of difference between, “Honey, did you know we’ve still got some cream corn in the refrigerator?” and “We’re supposed to have asparagus with our lunch.” When something is done according to routine or schedule, it may not get our full enthusiasm.

Make a guess where I’m going with this.

Some of the things we do in church can get so routine that we don’t really feel their meaning anymore. For instance, we can say the Lord’s Prayer as if we’re just trying to prove we’ve got it memorized. My goodness, we’re talking to God! Try emphasizing “THY kingdom come, THY will be done” and other words you might stress if you pictured God right there in front of you. He actually is right there.

Is your prayer at meals the same words, day after day? Why? You can do better than that. We’re not just communicating with God with our brain. We worship with our hearts.

Matthew 22:37, Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”