In The Kitchen

M

y mom is always in the kitchen!  It is the most popular room in their home and sits in the exact middle of the house.  To go from one end of the house to the other, you must pass through the kitchen, it’s just that simple!  When I call home, she’s there, when I am looking for her, that’s the first place I check, and the sound of her working in the kitchen is more dependable than the most faithful alarm clock Thanksgiving mornings were no exception.

When I was living at home, I awoke every Thanksgiving morning to the sounds of mom’s work as she prepared for the day ahead.  There was always so much to do:  pies to make, eggs to boil, dishes to wash, and of course, a turkey to cook.  All these things didn’t happen by magic, they required hard, faithful work.  For the rest of us, the food just “magically” appeared, the dishes were just “magically” washed, and the kitchen “cleaned itself!”  In actuality, however, the meal, the dishes, and the cleaning happened because mom was faithful to her task of providing for all of us. Her faithfulness was not evident only on Thanksgiving Day, but on each and every day of the year.

God works in exactly the same way as millions of mom’s all around the world.  While we are asleep, while it is dark, when we don’t believe He is taking notice of us, God is working.  He is busy making sure we have everything we need. He is busy making sure your heart continues to beat, that your lungs continue to circulate oxygen through your body, and He is making sure that you are ready to face the day ahead.

Yes, God is in the kitchen working.  You will always find Him there, preparing, cleaning, and planning every area of your life. Like the kitchen in my parents’ home, God is always in the middle of everything, constantly involved in every aspect of life, constantly preparing for the days ahead, constantly working in situations we know nothing about at present.  Even when it seems the lights are off and the kitchen is dark, God is working, using a slow cooker or a low setting on the oven because a particular situation needs longer preparation.

Jesus, himself, reminds us of God’s constant care and work in our lives. In John 5:17, he makes this observation, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” Notice that little word, “always”; it packs a powerful punch!!  Jesus wanted to remind his disciples and us that God never leaves us out on a limb.  He never closes the kitchen, He never stops working, and He never leaves anything undone.  God is always in the kitchen!  If you listen carefully, you will hear Him rattling the pots and pans of your life.  He is looking after you, making sure you have what you need to live life according to His will and purpose.

Thanksgiving meals are wonderful because mom is in the kitchen!  How much more wonderful are the things of life because we serve a God who is always in the kitchen?  When our pots and pans are rattled, when the heat is turned up, or when it feels as if God is scrubbing us with a wire brush, we should be thankful for His faithfulness.  And God is faithful every moment of every day of every year of your life.  Let us with the psalmist say, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 118).

           

Oh yeah, “Thanks mom!”