So, if you know me well, you know I love to cook. I gain so much pleasure from setting a full plate in front of my family and close friends. I feel immense satisfaction whenever my husband or my little guys are licking their fingers like they're lollies. However, loving to cook does not necessarily make you an executive chef immediately. I believe my love of cooking has helped me get better because of all my practice, BUT, I still make duds. Like a couple weeks ago...
We were feeding on the last of the groceries and trying to make them go as far as possible before we had to trudge out in the cold to get more. I pulled out some pork chops and decided to go with a home made barbecue sauce. I had rice. I just needed a veggie.
Open cupboard...
Onions - love them...just not an excellent side dish.
Potatoes - AND rice? Nah.
Open fridge...
One dried up carrot - not quite enough - also not sure I could re hydrate it...
Open freezer...
Edamame beans - huh? oh yeah, dear hubby thought they were frozen peas when he went grocery shopping (at least he went).
4 frozen corn niblets - not enough.
Edamame beans it is.
So, I went searching for an Edamame bean recipe. Couldn't find much as a side dish option as they are mostly used in salads (for a reason I soon found out...).
Fried them up, added a little garlic and salt and that onion.
Proudly served up my well rounded dinner.
Then we took a bite. Pork chops - SAAAAAAAlty! Rice - covered in that salty pork sauce. Edamame beans - hard, garlicky and salty. Even my husband couldn't pretend to like it - and he's eaten goat. And fish heads. By the end of my meal of SALT with a side of pork, I was desperate for water. I chugged down my glass of water as fast as possible, taking big gulps with no thought to the dribbles running down my chin - I just wanted more. So, get this - in the middle of the dribbles I thought about Jesus. I thought about how He called Himself the "water of life." I wondered if I had ever been this desperate for Him. Nothing else mattering except knowing Him closer, depending on Him to quench the thirst for
peace
joy
fulfillment
purpose
strength
courage
patience
grace
"Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." John 4:10
That's it. "If you knew the gift of God and who it is..." How often I forget. How often I drift away from Jesus and forget who He is. Forget how He has provided in the past. Forget His power, provision, presence, peace. I forget to look to Him to quench my thirst. I was glad for my little salty experience that night. For two reasons;
It urged me to draw near to the Living Water. The Lover of my soul. The One who can satisfy all my thirst.
And it was the night my husband dubbed Edamame beans as Goo Goo Ga Ga Beans whenever he couldn't pronounce it.
Look to the Living Water friends.
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