The tropical chill enticed me. Soup.  Visions of meatless macaroni soup danced in my head.  Macaroni soup?  Necessity is   the mother of invention; and the kitchen is my burning bush.  That is the place where the things impossible with men become possible through God.

 

In a world of instant results, the idea of speaking to the mountain is appealing.  Wouldn’t you like to speak your meal into existence … without having to wait for its preparation?  The front porch was a beehive of activity.  I figured that if I put the food on the back burner, I could leave it and wait for the water to boil.  I put the macaroni and shells into the cold water.  God prefers people who are either cold or hot.  In every situation, He wants us to be covered too. Psalm 91:1,2

 

As I emptied the content of the boxes into the pot, I saw myself. Then I laughed.  When The SONshine Newsletter started, I was cold and on the back burner.   However, most cooks like to stir the ingredients several times.  As I stirred, I thought about stirring up the gifts within an individual.  Life will never be the same when the Holy Spirit begins to stir the ministry gifts.

 

I had never made this kind of soup before; and my ignorance was showing.  When I opened the pot, nothing was happening.  What I saw was a mushy mess.  I was helpless; and the meal looked hopeless.  I needed the Master Chef… the Holy Spirit to intervene.

 

What should I do God?  I had some meatless sauce with excellent herb seasoning and tomatoes in it.  The soup could use some texture.  It needed a generous helping; and since I do not measure, the amount was unimportant.  The soup became appealing.   Eager noses followed the trail…to the kitchen.

 

Although the soup had texture, it needed tone.  Two packages of cheese sauce proved to be perfect.  Not long after I added them, the pot began to gab excitedly.  I turned off the stove in the middle of the conversation!  The cheese sauce had provided savour.  Was the soup ready?  When would it be ready?

 

After the so- called soup stood on the back burner for five minutes, the captive audience reached a unanimous decision.  I tasted it. One thing was clear.  It was rare soup!  I did not realize how excellent it was until my five- year -old nephew needed more.  More?  Could I open another can of what I had prepared so that he could get a little bit more?

 

Some may call it a fluke… a stroke of good luck.  My sister, a Home Economics teacher, calls it an F!   There are procedures for preparing any food; and I had disregarded the most basic step.  I am a creative cook; and I get perfect results.  Since then, I have tried to prepare the meal on the front burner.  The results were different.  I have to use a slow burner in order to produce impatient meatless soup.  That enjoyable meal was not by might, nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord.  Since this realization, I can say confidently: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 

If there is anything worth pondering in this recipe, think on the worthwhile things.