I feel His pleasure

Have you seen Chariots of Fire? Do you remember when Eric Liddell was defending his decision to go to the Olympics to his sister, who wanted him to return to the mission field immediately? He said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

That’s how I felt today as I stood among a half dozen African American women and a couple others and demonstrated how to prepare a stir-fry “off-hand”.

It was a long day–I woke up late, ran to the office to pick up some danglers, ran out to Kawasaki to set up an educational display there, ran back home for the materials for this afternoon’s presentation, ran back to the office, ran to a presentation on diabetes, ran back to the office. You get the picture. But the last item on my agenda completely made my day.

Renee and I have been working on this “Gathering” for a couple of weeks now, reserving the kitchen at the Salvation Army and gathering together some folks to participate. I’ve been preparing a handout and getting together my cooking supplies. And today, we had our gathering.

I’d been off-kilter all day, but I was off-kilter no longer. Now I was right at home. I was where I was meant to be. Maybe God created me for a purpose other than teaching people the practical skills of eating healthy–but He gave me that passion, and when I exercise it, I feel His pleasure.

I’ve often mused, in past weeks, that surely I was created for a higher purpose than keeping up with the dishes and the laundry. I’ve stated that there must be something more to life than the day to day monotony of school and work. “This can’t be all there is!” I’ve cried. But today, as we gathered, I could only think “If this is all there is, I’d be content.”

Because when I teach people how to cook, I feel His pleasure. Because when I have the opportunity to help a community be healthier, I feel His pleasure. That makes it all worthwhile.

We were three white women, six black women, and a lone black man. Food brought us together around a table. Some cut, some mixed, some just tasted. Food was a common ground. One woman discovered stir-fry for the first time in her life. Another tasted water chestnuts for the first time. One woman decided that low-sodium soy sauce was just as good as the regular. Another woman discovered that brown rice is not as bad as she thought. They couldn’t stop telling me how impressed they were with how easy it was to cook a stir-fry–and it was healthy too! There couldn’t be a doubt in anyone’s mind: this wasn’t just information for them to sit on, they were going to use this stuff.

They suggested I write a cookbook. They were nice beyond belief. They made me feel great about myself and about my dreams. Their approval was fantastic–but far beyond that, I felt the approval of God. ‘Cause this afternoon, in the Salvation Army kitchen, I felt His pleasure.

Wanna try making an Off-hand Stir-fry of your own? Check out my handout.