Made From Scratch

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lour, a sifter, a mixing bowl, milk, shortening, a rolling pin, and a dough cutter indicated mom was making homemade biscuits for supper.  No matter what else we were having, those biscuits made the meal all the more special and delicious.  I loved to stand in the kitchen and watch her make fresh biscuits.  First she would combine the ingredients in the mixing bowl and make her dough.  She would place flour on the cabinet top and turn the dough out on to it.  With her hands, she would knead and punch the dough until it was shaped in to a firm ball.  Her hands always amazed me and I loved watching as they skillfully worked to prepare the dough for the oven.

The only step now was to cut the dough into the round pieces that would become biscuits.  Mom took her rolling pin and began preparing the dough for the cutter.  She would roll the dough, first one way, and then another, until it reached a uniform shape and the desired thickness.  She then took the cutter and began cutting out round portions and placing them into a greased pan.  Every time she made a cut, she would hold the biscuit and shape it, making sure each one was the right shape and size she wanted.  When she could no longer get more biscuits out of the remaining dough, she would take the scraps and form a smaller biscuit in her hand—she wasted nothing.

Although the biscuits looked the same, each one was different.  All of them had come from the same batch of dough but, after cutting them out, mom had shaped and formed each one.  Each biscuit was unique and had a character all its own.  When they were done, she carefully took them out of the oven and placed them into a breadbasket.  Once they arrived at the table, it didn’t take us long to devour them.  It was my self-appointed task to make sure the biscuits were distributed evenly with each member of our family receiving an equal amount of bread. 

Would it surprise you to learn that God went through the same process when He decided to make man?  Did you ever stop to consider that when God made man, He did so with very special care and planning?  My mom could have used brown and serve rolls with her meal; but she wanted to make the meal special by putting something of herself into it.  That’s why she went to such great pains to make homemade biscuits.  Store-bought bread just wouldn’t do.

Genesis 2:7 gives us a good glimpse into God’s creation of man. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. There are two very small but important words in this passage that tell us volumes about God’s plan and design for mankind.  The first is the word “formed.”  Heretofore in the creation story, God spoke things into being.  However, when it came time to create man, God formed him.  In order to do this, God had to measure out the ingredients, mix them together, and roll them out.  In order to make us, God got his hands dirty.  He rolled the clay into a firm ball and then, using his hands, God formed, molded, and fashioned his masterpiece.

After he created a man, God put something of himself into his creation.  The second word is “breathed.”  God filled Adam’s lungs with his own breath and brought him to life.  What an intimate relationship this was.  Just imagine the moment before Adam breathed his first breath.  The planet was complete, the air was pure, and no human had ever breathed it.  However, instead of air, Adam inhaled God’s very breath and took into himself the source of all life!!!  Wow!!  You want to talk about a breath of fresh air, I’d say this qualified!!!!

After God breathed into Adam, he became a living being.  Without God in our lives we do not live; we merely exist.  All the other things God created just existed.  Man was the only thing God imparted life to by placing something of Himself inside.  When Adam received God’s breath, he received life.  Just before his departure, Jesus appeared to his disciples, breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).  God’s breath always imparts life to those who receive it.

I still enjoy watching mom make fresh biscuits.  Although the process is always the same, each batch is different from all the rest.  Her hands always know when the dough is ready and they always form each biscuit into just the right shape and size she wants.  God is the same way with us.  He knows when the dough is ready, he knows just how much we need to be rolled, stretched, and cut in order to become what he wants us to be.  He takes us in his hands and molds us and shapes us until we are just the right size and shape for his purpose.  In order for God to shape us, he uses his hands to roll, pinch, push, and shape us into the very image of Christ. The process may not always be easy but it is worth it.  After all, would you rather have homemade biscuits or brown and serve rolls?  In my opinion, there’s no contest!!