Happy New Year! Being Bread in the Hands of God

Hi Friends,

Today we're baking bread from scratch.  The last time we baked bread was quite a few years ago (as you can see from the picture!).  This time, all four older girls were able to make their own loaves.  As I type, the bread is browning in the oven and filling the house with a wonderful smell.

And I'm reminded of God.

I'm reminded of how he kneads and shapes me.  Not an easy process, the crushing, the beating, the hard pressing that seems to go on and on.  But it works.  The bread is shaped.

I'm reminded of how he waits patiently for me to rise.  He doesn't frown on me, tap his toe impatiently, disapprove of my pace.  He covers me with his garment and simply waits for me to look up and grow.

I'm reminded of how he refines me.  He kneads me again, shapes me again, makes me more like he wants me to be.

And he waits, and he watches.  And I rise.

And he puts me in the hot place, knowing that he's created me to make a beautiful aroma when the heat is on.  He's created me to be beautiful, to be wholesome, to feed others.

But that only happens in his hands.

May you be malleable in the hands of God this year as he kneads and shapes you.  May you make a beautiful aroma in the oven's heat, and become the person he created you to be.

Happy New Year!