Is It Ready Yet?

T

he sound of the mixer was the single best clue that mom was in the kitchen baking.  The moment that realization took hold, all activity came to a grinding halt.  That single sound meant there would be a bowl, a spatula, and at least two beaters that had to be licked.  Who was better qualified for this job, than my brother and I?  Since I couldn't think of anyone better for the job, we applied in person!

We entered the kitchen and discovered mom was making a pound cake.  For those connoisseurs among you, you know there is simply nothing better in the world than warm, moist, pound cake.  My brother and I, however, knew the batter was just as good and competed for the right to lick the beaters and the ever-coveted bowl and spatula.  As mom filled the cake pan, we watched in horror!  She poured all of the batter into the cake pan.  Then she did the unthinkable; she scraped the remaining portion out of the bowl.  We just knew there would be none left to fight over.  Mom, however, never disappointed us and there was always batter left for us to enjoy.

Waiting for the cake to bake was the worst part.  As far as I was concerned, the batter was just fine the way it was.  However, mom didn't agree and when mom was in the kitchen, what she said was law!  We pelted her with the same question over and over, "Is it ready yet?"  And, of course, the answer was always, "In a few minutes."  Those few minutes were an eternity.  After all, all the ingredients were there, well mixed, and in the pan.  But the oven was necessary to turn the batter into the pound cake we were all waiting for.  Baking, I was to learn later, is a process which takes precisely measured ingredients and subjects them to heat so they can become what is desired, in this case, a pound cake.

Today's scripture lesson has much to do with the process of baking. Matthew 4:19 tells the story of Jesus calling the first disciples, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He found these men down by the Sea of Galilee, tending their nets and caring for their boats.  It was in this setting that Jesus found the mixture that he would use to create his disciples. 

Notice the words Jesus used as he called Andrew and Peter, "I will make you fishers of men." When Jesus found them, they were already fishermen. Peter and Andrew made their living by fishing, they were professionals. There was nothing about fishing which they didn't know and there was no trend or idea with which they were unfamiliar.  Like the batter in the cake pan, they were pre-measured and mixed but they needed the right environment to reach the stage of "doneness".  In other words, they weren't ready yet!  Jesus wanted to place them in the oven so they would be "ready" to achieve his purpose for their lives.

Jesus does the same in our lives today. The ingredients have been pre-measured, sifted, beaten, and placed in the cake pan.  Everything is present to make the cake; the only thing lacking is heat!  Although the oven is the final stage of baking, it is the most important stage. After the batter is heated and the liquid begins to evaporate, the batter gains texture and becomes a fresh, warm, golden pound cake. 

Becoming a disciple of Christ is a process.  Jesus is about the business of "making us" to be his disciples.  It is a life-long process which, when completed, yields a beautiful creation that can be enjoyed by others.  For those of us in the oven, waiting for the transformation to take place, patience is the most difficult part.  Yet, it is only through the baking process that we "become what he intended all along."  Please be patient with yourself and God.  He will determine when you are ready and when you have completed the task he will say, "Well done!"