Friday, August 16, 2013

strange craving...

there are some things that just don't belong together. 

apple juice and mashed potatoes...for instance. 

yeah, i know.  ick. 

that was my first thought too...but i couldn't deny that i had a strong craving for that odd combination.

you know what my second thought was?  "oh Lord...certainly i'm not pregnant...right?!"

i'm not. 
(God knows i can only handle what i have and while His grace would be sufficient...i'm not sure my faith would be.)

so i shrugged, told my husband, had a good laugh about it and moved on with my day.

fast forward to my grocery night with my mentor.  i'm going down the aisles (grocery shopping is like therapy for me) and i come to the juice aisle.  the apple juice is on my left and i am reminded of my strange craving earlier in the week.  then i look to my left and i see the boxed mashed potatoes.  i'm like "you've got to be kidding me.  God?  i'm listening if you happen to have something to say with all this."

...so...

all that for this:

there are some things that just don't belong together. 

apple juice and mashed potatoes...for instance.

...BUT...

i have this amazing recipe that incorporates the two flawlessly.  it's one of my favorite winter meals because you just dump a ton of stuff in the crock pot and let'er go...and it's hearty and delish and probably not what i'd call 'healthy eating'...but i can always blame the extra rolls on the sweaters i wear.

then i started thinking there are lots of recipes like that.  recipes that take two ingredients that don't belong together and blends them with other flavors to make something really wonderful.  now...without those other flavors...it really is gross. it's all those other ingredients plus a genius recipe and/or the hands of a master chef.

...so...

how does that relate to my life...right now?

i'm going to be transparent.  i do not like dealing with conflict.  not that i'm afraid of it...i'm actually quite a diplomat.  but it stresses me out and there are too many other important things in my life to deal with...so i generally just create a great distance between me and conflict.

so...when i am in ministry leadership and there are amazing women that have strong personalities that just don't belong together...i would like to be involved as little as possible. 

i feel like God was telling me very clearly that in those situations.  those two amazing women that seem to not mesh...they are just ingredients in His kitchen.  they are the apple juice and mashed potatoes. 

what they need is the hands of the Master Chef taking them and bringing them together into something beautiful...and what He needs for that...is other ingredients.  people...like me.  so maybe i'm the cardamom...or maybe i'm the pork...  i don't know...but as much as i would like to avoid the stress...i need to just jump into the pot and let God do what He wants.

yum!