“But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His plan to unfold.”

Psalm 106:13

My youngest daughter loves to stir and mix when we make banana bread. Today, I had the rare opportunity to bake while she was outside with my husband. Normally this process could take a while, but I made this bread quickly before she returned. As I was cleaning up, I realized I had purposely set out to exclude her from the process. In the beginning I thought her involvement would only add time and a bigger mess. Looking at the finished product, I was saddened because this was an opportunity for me to grow, to slow down, and to teach.

But instead, I went my own way and missed an opportunity. How often do we know we need to invite the Lord into situations we are dealing with today, and yet we do not? Because we might not get the desired results and in the desired time frame? The Lord waits to be invited to stir and mix, to change the recipe, to make something new. But often, we do not want something new, we rush and hurry to only get the same results. Leaving the most important ingredient out, which is the Lord’s leadership, leads to us missing opportunities, blessings, and most of all missing the time spent with the Lord.

Often in the times of distress, if I press pause and call out to the Lord for His aid and assistance, the outcome may not change, but the process is lightened. At this point, I have handed off my burden to the One who longs to help me carry them. We do not have to do life alone. God may have placed these opportunities in our path today, to remind us to slow down and to let the mess overflow. Because sometimes the recipe could change for the better. Invite the Lord into the daily stresses of the day and see how working with Him changes the recipe. I have not tried my bread yet, but guaranteed it would taste a lot better if it had the fingerprints of one my greatest blessings.