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| Brenda Winker |
My new year’s day began with a cup of coffee and some alone
time with God. There isn’t a better way
to start a day. Sometimes due to
circumstances beyond my control it doesn’t happen that way but today it did. I
felt blessed and grateful. But when my husband Joel awakened I was again
grateful because he greeted me with a big smile, sweet kisses, and sweet words.
Due to his Alzheimer's disease, he didn’t know it was a brand new year, but he knew it was a brand new day and I
was part of it. So, I paused temporarily and
received the blessing God was giving me right then. We sat awhile, chatted just
a little, and finished our coffee, and he went to get the newspapers.
I got busy making the Communion bread for the Sunday worship
service. Naturally Joel offered to help (more than once), but I like being in
the kitchen alone if I’m baking or cooking. I get distracted easily so it is
better that way. I kept my mind centered
on the recipe itself in the beginning but as I stirred and kneaded the dough I
began to think about how very special my day was! I was so overwhelmed with
gratitude that I began to silently once again commune with God. I thanked Him
for my husband, our family, friends, and all the people He continues to bring
into our lives. I thanked Him for more blessings than I could count and for a
new year with new opportunities to serve Him. Psalm 100:4-5 says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his
courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is
good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all
generations.”
As I kneaded the communion bread God reminded me how He kneads
us to make us His. With the Communion bread, I melt a stick of real butter and
a teaspoon of Crisco. I add salt, sugar, and milk and stir. Then I add the
mixture to the flour. It should have been gradually added but I admit I took a
shortcut and just dumped it all in at once.
God takes us just as we are, adds all the ingredients
necessary to make us more like Jesus. He doesn’t take short cuts with us and
dump everything into us at the same time like I did for the bread. He is
gradually at work in us with His never ending love and grace. Hebrews 10:23
reads, “Let us hold fast the confession
of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Our God is
faithful!
Then I put the dough in the refrigerator for a while because
that’s what the recipe says. I took it out a little later so the dough would
soften up so I could knead it some more. The dough isn’t easy to
knead and work with at this point but neither are we.
All too often we have to be softened up and made pliable just like the bread dough.
I rolled the dough out as thin as possible on waxed paper,
sliced it, and crisscrossed it into little squares. Hopefully the pieces will be
somewhat uniform for serving to my church family. I trimmed off the rough
jagged edges, placed the baking sheet on top of the rolled and sliced dough and
flipped it all over onto the baking sheet. I removed the waxed paper and placed
the pan in the oven to bake.
Notice I said somewhat uniform pieces because getting
them just right is virtually impossible for me. But nothing is impossible for
God and thankfully He doesn’t give up on making us just right. Not only does He
knead and make us into the right size pieces but He trims off the ragged edges
and makes us into His servants.
Jeremiah 29:13 tells us, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your
heart.” We must regularly seek God through prayer and His Word and allow
Him to work in and through us to do His will.
Hebrews 13:20-21 is my prayer for
today and all year long, “May the God of
peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead
our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip us with everything good
for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus
Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.”
God alone has the recipe and
all we have to do is be the “dough in His hands.”
Brenda Winker,
former ATD, Rutherfordton Day Class
