I skimmed through the fridge.
“What can I make myself for dinner?” I thought, feeling particularly picky this time.
As soon as I was about to give up being creative with the leftovers in my fridge, I felt the voice of the Holy Spirit challenging me.
He wanted to dictate a recipe to me.
I felt very insecure about that. What if it’s not going to be good? What if I going to end up throwing the food away? What if I was the one making up this idea in the first place?
I wrestled in my heart for half an hour. The feeling of invitation didn’t disappear. It wasn’t me.
The same week I had been asking God why it is so difficult for me to follow His simple specific leading. Why do I struggle to just simply do what He told me? Especially when it’s extremely easy.
Simple obedience
I’m talking about obedience to do things that don’t cost anything. It’s just a couple of seconds to step out of your way and to say hello to your neighbor and genuinely ask if he’s doing alright.
You’re not risking being killed. I think…
Helping to carry old lady’s groceries up the hill. I’m going the same direction anyway.
I’m certain that it’s going to be more difficult to obey God in bigger things if I struggle to obey these tiny little ones. I have to train myself to do them!
I take a deep breath in. Then out.
Alright, I’m going to do it. I’m going to listen to the recipe God is going to tell me. I want to learn to obey small commands.
An unexpected blessing
He directed me step by step. God didn’t give me another step before I finished the previous one.
It was an emotional rollercoaster. One moment I was sure it was going to work out; another, I was doubting if I heard right. In the end, however, everything looked good.
Turns out it was something you could call “tuna bread.” As I was putting the last slice of cheese on the top of the dough that was already in the form, I heard the last instruction:
“You’ll know when it’s finished when the cheese starts to bubble.”
Now, to be very honest, baking anything that looks like cake is not my strength. I know how to chop vegetables and bake them.
This time I had to trust someone who knows better than me.
Still, I kept on checking the oven every couple of minutes.
“This cheese is not going to bubble,” I thought to myself, seeing it becoming drier with every check-up.
However, exactly half an hour after putting the dough into the oven, the cheese started to blow bubbles.
I wish to have caught my face on camera. I was startled!
I was reacting like that not because I don’t believe in God’s ability to cook. Jesus definitely knows how to cook fish. I was shocked that I could hear the voice of God to such specific details as to follow a recipe!
I wish to tell you that it tasted extraordinary. Actually, it was quite good.
How big does obedience get?
Jesus once said:
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. (Luke 16:10, ESV)
I’ve been putting obedience into a spectrum of size. It felt like I had to play the game fairly finishing one level after another to reach higher prestige.
When in God’s sight, there’s just one obedience. If I’m faithful in small, I’m faithful in big also.
I only need to make sure I’m listening and obeying God in the current step. I don’t need to know all the way in order to follow God well.
It’s not about enormous achievements. It’s all about faithfulness and trust in walking the given path.
The recipe
As God told me the steps I was writing them in my notebook. Here’s this famous recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup of water
- 1 egg
- 50 gram or 2 ounces of butter
- 100 gram or 3.5 ounces tuna
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- A few slices of gouda cheese
- Sour cream
Instructions:
- Mix together flour, egg, and water.
- Melt the butter and add to the previous mixture. Mix everything well. (Note: if you stop here you got a very good pica dough, just don’t forget to add salt and leave it covered for at least half an hour)
- Add the pepper and salt.
- Add canned tuna and mix it well (make sure there’s no oil; if there is you can add more flour)
- Lay the mass into a baking form.
- Lay the cheese slices on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes at 180°C (350°F).
- Serve while hot with sour cream.
Conclusion
I ended up having a recipe that has the most unique story in my notebook. Among the recipes my mom wrote, I now have a recipe taught by God.
What’s the recipe for great obedience? Willingness to obey God in small tasks.
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