A Parable of Unusual Ingredients

 

 

One Sabbath Day, the Family of Waldron returned from Meeting House to find a pleasant aroma wafting from their Crock Pot.  Aforetime, this was likely to be the aroma of pot roast, carrots and potatoes, but since my daughter hath developed the dread malady, Allergy to Alpha Gal, it was chicken and Black Beans that was stewing to perfection.

So it was that we sat down to dinner and ate and drank to our heart’s (and stomach’s) content.  When we rose, it was not because the food was all, but because our Starving Appetites had been defeated fair and square at the Dinner Table.

Then, my beautiful wife rose.  “The meal is not quite ended,” quoth she.  “For I have slaved in baking for ye all and now I have two pies – one is peach and the other custard.”

Now, it seemeth to me that the world is divided into three groups – those who like pie, those who like cake, and folk who are ill.  Verily, I fall into the camp of those who prefer pie and so I was pleased and called the meal Very Good.

My younger son asked for and received a piece of the custard pie. 

Perhaps he noticed and perhaps he did not, but the eyes of my wife and I were upon him whilst he ate this pie.  “Dost thou like yon pie?”  I asked him.

“Verily,” he saith.  “The pie is very good, and my mother is a great baker to make such a thing.”

It was then that we sprung the surprise upon him.  “Dost thou know what type of pie thou art eating?”  I queried.

“Yea, Custard Pie,” answered Elliot and then after a Pregnant Pause.  “Thou hast not poisoned it?”

“No, my son, but it is not just any Custard Pie.  Yea, it is pie made with the goodness of Zucchini Squash in it and we hid it from thee, for we know that thou believest that thou dost not like Zucchini and therefore would not have eaten it if we told thee Straight Out what was in it.”

My second son looked aghast, as if he had just been informed that the pie had Arsenic Sauce upon it.  Then, he had made choking sounds – trying to convince his laughing family that he really was In a Bad Way from Toxic Zucchini.

“Thou canst not fool us, nor dost thou need Activated Charcoal to neutralize that which thou hast eaten,” I said.  “For thou didst like the pie until thou knewest that it was made with squash.  For, the pie is Plum Good and thou knowest it right well.”

I thought much on the subject of hidden things and how our human tendency is to judge things on their appearance and our Preconceived Notions of how they are.

So it was that the Prophet Samuel, when he visited David’s father to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be king, judged the older ones to be more worthy.  They were stronger and older and seemed the more fair and yet, God had chosen David to be king in Saul’s place.  He told the prophet, when Samuel was contemplating one of the older ones, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

It is sad if there are things we miss out on in life and folks that we choose to ignore, because we have Judged them By Their Cover.  For lo, there is much more to a man than the length of his beard and whether he have a tattoo of a camel on his left forearm.

I pray that we might see and judge aright – even as God has judged us.  God has placed many people in our paths that are needful if we can but see past our initial judgment of them.  For mayhap we might even be able to enjoy a Wonderful Pie, even if it was made with a disagreeable ingredient.

Practicing Muchly

 

One day, in the House of Waldron, there went up a din as of the voices of a great people at war.  Sadly, though, there was no voice of an intruder within our household, but merely the voices of my two eldest children.  They were crying out with emotion filled tones so that even those living in Indonesia might, perhaps, have heard them, had they only known to pay attention.

"Vincent Waldron!"  My eldest child spake in an anguished voice.  "Thou hast practiced more than Thy Fair Share!  The time has come for thee to pause thy practicing for a time, times and half a times!"

"Anna!"  Vincent responded in a voice as filled with despair, as if someone had eaten the last chocolate zucchini muffin and had left him only crumbs for breakfast.  "I know that it fair Drives You Crazy that I practice my String Bass muchly, but it is no Skin off thy Nose, for I would have a place in the orchestra this fall and that taketh much work.  Further, you play flute and therefore I will not steal thy place within the orchestra -- not though I was ever so much better than I am."

"What is the problem?"  I asked my progeny.

"We are keeping track of half hours of practice time for the orchestra camp in August," Anna told me disgustedly.  "My dearest brother has already practiced five hours more than I have!  Even worse, he continueth to practice muchly and I would have him Slow Down, so that I mightest catch up a little."

I frowned.  'Tis an interesting and sticky problem to deal with.  Most parents struggle to get their children to dedicate themselves to practice, but my oldest children play their instruments a great amount.  They practice thus without a Nagging Word.  They are not always so dedicated to household chores, but that is Another Story for Another Blog.

"Anna, Anna," I said.  "You have much care and worry, and I am glad that thou desirest to practice.  Yet, it is not a great trial to thee if thy brother practices also.  Yea, if he should pass thy total by fifty hours, yet, if thou hast done thy best, what is that to thee?"

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Colosse, "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men." (3:23)

A great challenge presents itself to each one of us.  First, we are to do our very best, working whole heartedly to accomplish the things set before us.  More than that, we are called to perform our tasks for an Audience of One.

Perhaps it seems that we fall behind -- that our best is worse than the minimal efforts of our co-workers.  Just so long as it truly is our best, we have nothing to be ashamed of and Our Master will gladly accept the gift of our service.

For, though we may fall behind ever so far in half hours of practicing, if we have used our time wisely, all will be well.  Verily, there is much to do in this world than simply practice musical instruments -- even if orchestra camp is looming ever closer on the horizon.

A Parable of Zucchini

 

Lo, on a certain day in the year of Our Lord 2023, I went forth to my Garden and behold, it was more like to a very weedy field than to the Garden of Eden.  Yet, even in the midst of the weeds, a few plants did fight a desperate battle for survival against the tangle of invaders.

To one of these plants I went and stooping, I collected not one, but two cylindrical vegetables.  Proudly, I returned to the house with my new friends tagging along.

“Look, O children!”  I crowed, holding a loft what I had found.  “Thy Father, Master Gardener that he is, hath discovered not one, but two zucchinis in our garden.”

Forthwith, my son Elliot, made a terrible groaning sound, like unto a door turning upon very rusty hinges.  If I did not know better, I would have suspected he had some dread malady like The Flux or perhaps Squinsy.  “O, My Father,” spake he.  “Far be it from me to Rain on Thy Parade, but lo, it is but a few days since thou didst last plunder the garden.  On that day, like today, the only thing we gained by it was an Awful Big Zucchini.”

Verily, my younger son well-nigh despises squash, even as a forest fire fears a heavy rain.  Though, as far as I can discern, the zucchini plants have never done him any harm.

“O, My Father,” spake he once more.  “Why didst the Creator make something like zucchini and further, in a world with freedom of choice, why wouldst thou plant such a thing in a beautiful garden like ours?”

“I know not the answer to thy first question,” I said.  “Although perhaps twas that when Adam fled the Garden to earn his keep by the sweat of his brow, God decided to give him a little boon – a plant that would bear well, even when all other vegetables fail.”

“As for the second question,” I continued.  “Thy mother and I both like zucchini – hence our willingness to foist this gourd shaped cross on our family.”

As I contemplate zucchini, I see little reason for hatred.  Seldom does one actually taste the squash.  Instead, the zucchini adds moisture and texture, even while the other ingredients have room to be themselves.  For zucchini is not like pumpkin or corn, where it needs to be the center of attention in a recipe, but rather it enhances the other ingredients to create such a delight as zucchini bread.

I wonder if we could do better at emulating zucchini in our lives.  It would be a veritable blessing if we were able to enhance every situation we find ourselves in, without requiring those who are around us to conform themselves to our likeness.

Therefore did the Apostle Paul say, "Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God."  (Romans 15:7)

A world in which each one of us attempted to enhance the qualities of others, rather than forcing them to become feeble images of ourselves, would be a wondrous place.  Let us then act like zucchinis, loving and encouraging others around us to be their best selves.

A Nice Camera?

 

 

“You must have a really nice camera,” the lady told me.  “Your photos always look great.”

“I guess I do have a nice camera,” I said.  “Although, I have learned how to get the most out of my camera too.”

“It must be nice to have a camera that can capture such beautiful colors,” she said with a sigh.  “I just use my phone for most things and I guess it’s OK.”

“True,” I said.  “Phone cameras are quite capable these days.  They are probably more capable than a lot of the film cameras people to use in the past.”

“You probably have special filters you use on your pictures?”  She asked.

“Not really.  I tweak things in Lightroom, but I try to get things right in my camera so I don’t have to do a bunch of editing after the fact.

I have found the discussion of photography to be a discouraging one.  Most people are convinced that the true source of great photos (not saying mine are great) is awesome cameras and lenses – with a hearty helping of Photoshop poured on top, like sausage gravy on biscuits.

The reality is that taking good landscape images requires waking up early (sunrise is often somewhere between 5:30 and 6 am depending on where you live) and struggling out to a location where you can capture some beautiful light – before the sun ever peeps above the horizon.  Using a tripod is helpful too, as it allows you to keep your camera steady in those moments when it is too dark to have a fast shutter speed.

More than all of that, it takes effort to learn how to get the most out of a shooting situation.  When your photos don’t look the way you want, you need to sit down and think about what settings you messed up and how you could fix it in the future.

This is the way it is in life.  You generally get out of something what you invest in it -- and maybe just a little bit more.

The Apostle Paul said, "Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold on me. (Phil. 3:13)

So many people claim that they want a deeper relationship with God.  They want the sort of confidence that the great men and women of faith had.  I am convinced that the issue is not that people don't have the right version of the Bible, or lack the right devotional books.  The issue is simply that folks aren't willing to sit down and focus themselves on their Heavenly Father.  They don't cry out to Him and they don't listen to His voice.

If anyone could have claimed to have things down perfectly, it was Paul, but still he saw much that needed perfecting.  Still, he pressed on to deepen his relationship with Jesus.

So the question comes clearly, what do you spend the moments of each day on?  If you spent half the time you spend online or Netflix on your relationship with God, what would it look like?

There is no investment better than pouring ourselves into our connection with our Heavenly Father.  What we do today will decide who we are tomorrow.

Let's not live as though the only reason that someone has better pictures is because they have a better camera.