Dear Friends,

I read something this week that made me think. It’s from a book called Make It Happen. Author Lara Casey said. “There are lots of ways to get really busy and then be totally burned out. But there is only one path to purpose: Jesus. He wants us to commit to slow cooking, instead of microwaving our lives.”

This probably caught my attention because we have talked about slowing down and being more intentional during Lent. Our culture prefers things instantly. This is why most of us use our microwaves more than our ovens. And I admit, I’m often guilty as well.

But consider what we do when we want a quality meal. We break out Mom or Grandma’s recipes and spend some time in the kitchen. We make something we’re proud of, that we know is good to share with others. See, not everything turns out well in a microwave. Some things taste much better when cooked slowly.

Likewise, personal or spiritual growth is not something that can be rushed. Great relationships take time to develop. Learning or practicing a skill takes time to practice. A general rule says that you have to do something for 10,000 hours in order to become an expert.

God wants us to become experts in His Kingdom. Not so that we can lord it over anyone else, as some leaders in the New Testament did – and were reprimanded by Jesus. God wants us to be experts in His Kingdom for basically the same reasons we occasionally use our ovens. So that we make something we’re proud of and have something good to share.

Food that was meant to be slow cooked doesn’t taste good when it is microwaved instead. Our lives can end up being purposeless when we hurry through them instead of finding our rhythm in relationship with Jesus. I encourage you to remember this principle (slow cooking vs. microwaving) as you prayerfully consider how you spend your time.

God Bless,
Pastor Cindy