Mush

Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought . . . ~ Romans 12:3b

I was responsible for a recipe gone wrong. Everybody knew it. Especially the potato salad maker.

It was a lazy summer afternoon. Our family had been invited over to a special writer friend's house for a BBQ. Kids were encouraged to bring their swim gear, while parents signed up to bring a dish.

What could I bring? I thought. I want to really dazzle them with something that will minister to their tummies and bless their hearts. I know . . . my potato salad will be just the thing!

A five pound bag of potatoes later, I stood in my kitchen, mixing the final ingredients. Egg, mayonnaise, mustard, dill weed, pickles, a touch of salt . . . I carefully placed the glop into one of my finest bowls, and sprinkled the last bit of paprika on for color.

Later on, while the adults spent time chewing the fat, the kids were enjoying the pool. It was time for dinner. After drying the kids off, we formed a single line around the kitchen island. Everybody's contribution to the meal brought great anticipation. Hot dogs and chicken, garlic bread, pretzel salad. My potato salad stood smack dab in the middle. If there were a trophy for beauty, I would have taken first.

I got my plate, and chose a seat on the picnic bench. What happened next was devastating. Cutting into my meat . . . yummy. A bite of bread . . . delicious. Then, I brought my own masterpiece up to my mouth, and with a bite of regret I forced the swallow.

My potato salad was terrible. I knew it. Everybody else knew it too. My mind scrambled for an answer. Was it the fact that I tried to double the recipe? Were the potatoes bad? Not enough mustard?

Emotions flooded me, but I continued to force a smile. I hated to disappoint my new friends, and more than anything else to be known as such a terrible cook.

I chose not to say anything about the potato salad that day. I did not want anybody to feel the need to lie and tell me that it was good. Silly as it may sound, I felt like the potato salad reflected on me. Looking pretty good on the outside most of the time, these folks are soon going to see that underneath the garnish is a tasteless scoop of mush.

Every felt like a bland bowl of salad? Do you err on the side of performance like I do? Thinking that what you do or don't do dictates your worth?

My bout with potatoes that day taught me an important lesson about identity. My salad may have been a flop, but the disaster did not determine my worth. God allowed my recipe to take a dive, to point several unhealthy patterns of thinking out. People pleasing does not contribute to an solid sense of self worth. Ministering to others is one thing. Having to get it perfect can be quite another.

I encourage you today to chalk up your own failures to God's view of success. The Lord detests pride of any kind, even the potato salad kind. Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought. Let the love of the Lord, and not a bowl of starch dictate every thought you have about yourself.

And when your own potato salad trophy (pride) rears it's ugly head, force a smile and swallow, knowing that humiliation cann be one of the Lord's greatest gifts.

Junk Drawer

This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ~ 1 John 3:19,20

Junk drawers. They have an amazing knack for collecting, well . . . junk. My husband would tell you that we have far too many of these nuisances hidden in cabinets and furniture. While I get just as annoyed when I am trying to find that roll of scotch tape - I would have to say that I am an advocate for such drawers. With a little bit of tidying, they have become our family's favorite place to dig.

Getting home from work today, I reached in to locate a pen. I had a check to write, and while I was able to grab this writing utensil with ease, it was the rest of the gobbledygook that sent my blood pressure rising. For the next twenty minutes I dumped the drawer, and proceeded to put the junk back, in a more organized manner.

This is where the fun began. Purging papers and broken toys, old batteries and objects I could not determine the origin of -- they were all tossed. All that remained was a stack of sharpened pencils, some pens, our keys and a stack of gift cards. Glasses, a ruler and that role of scotch tape were tucked along the side of the organized compartments.

It got me thinking today, about how many times my heart will wind up just as much of a mess. The busyness of life causes things to get misplaced. God will reveal the contents through the tenderness of His Word, and like a busting drawer of junk, I feel like tossing the whole package altogether.

While we all may have some pruning to do now and then, God never instructs us to get rid of the whole tree. Character may need some sharpening, and a little of this and that arranged. But the purpose of the drawer (your heart) will always remain the same.

As God molds and shapes you into the image of His Son, never make the mistake of thinking you are a lost cause. We all struggle with weak areas. We make mistakes, we fall down. If God does not condemn you, then why should you?

Be at rest fellow soldier. God is so much greater than our untidy and sometimes wayward hearts. Get working on that drawer and don't forget to save the redeemable parts. While you may struggle with discerning the treasure from the trash, God is ready and able to help you sort the mess out.

He can show you which parts to save. God knows everything.