Lessons from a cow

In a couple of days, my Foods classes will finish up their unit on beef.  One of the things that I impress on the students is that it is important to know what part of the animal  a cut comes from and what those muscles do. A basic rule is that pieces of meat from the loin and the rib are tender and everything else is not so tender.  The reason that the rib and loin are tender is that they are muscles of suspension.  They pretty much just hang around.  Other muscles are muscles of locomotion and do the work which makes them tougher.  During the cooking process, muscles of suspension can handle a dry heat and a higher temperature without getting tough.  Locomotion muscles need either a precooking process such as marinating, grinding, pounding, or cubing in order to handle dry heat.  Otherwise, they require a moist heat method of cooking such as braising or stewing.

As we walk with God, the more we “hang around” Him, the more we remain tender.  When the heat is applied, we can handle it and become more usable.  When we start trying to do things our own way or run from the things that God wants for us, we become tough and it takes more work and longer time to make us usable again.

Hang out with God.  Be tender to how He wants to use you.  Avoid the pain that often occurs in the tenderizing process.

Marinating

 I went to church some time ago and heard a single word used in a prayer that caught my attention. The word was, “marinate.” Being a Foods teacher, this word piqued my interest. I have to admit that I had trouble concentrating on the sermon as I rolled this word around in my mind.

The word was used as a young lady prayed. She had shared some thoughts about God’s promises. She was very nervous about speaking in front of people, but was obedient and shared what God laid on her heart. As she closed her thoughts, she prayed that our hearts would marinate in the word of God.

I thought about the word, marinate. It’s a vocabulary word in my class and more than likely you would find it on a test about kitchen basics. This leads me to my first thought. Marinating is not a complex process. It involves a mixture of seasoning, liquids, some of which contain some sort of acid, and a piece of meat. In this process, the cook and the marinade do all the work. All the meat has to do is sit there. What can we learn from that? There are times when God just wants to overwhelm us with His presence. All we need to do is allow it to happen. When I marinade, I usually use a plastic bag. This allows me to eliminate most of the air that would interfere with the process. When we marinate in God, we need to shut out those things that would interfere with the process. I told a friend recently that perhaps they needed a DAWG. (Day Alone With God) Removing the distractions and concentrating solely on God can do wonders to accomplish the marinating process.

What is the purpose of marinating? It is used to improve the flavor and tenderize a piece of meat that might otherwise be somewhat tough and lacking flavor. When we marinate in God, He improves our flavor and tenderizes our hearts. The improved flavor makes us usable by God to reach those around us. It was the tenderizing aspect that really made me stop and think. There are so many things that toughen our hearts. Life throws us curve balls. People hurt us. Our schedules get too busy. We forget to immerse ourselves in God’s word. We want our own way. All these things toughen us and can make us unusable by God. The only way for us to return to a point of usefulness is to allow God to marinate our hearts. This is not always an enjoyable process. In the culinary world, the acid in the marinade breaks down the connective tissues in the meat over a period of time. Marinating in God takes time and may result in the painful breaking down of those things that make us tough. It’s not going to happen with a 5 minute devotional at the end of the day when you’re so exhausted that you can’t concentrate on what God is trying to say. It’s not going to be a result of reading the Bible out of a sense of duty. It means immersing yourself in prayer and allowing God to lead your reading of His Word. It means allowing God to talk to your heart and letting go of those things that toughen you. It’s not easy. We like to hang on to those things. Even those things that are painful. We try to find security in painful experiences, just because they are familiar. Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting them. It means no longer letting them define who we are and who we can become. Marinating in God means letting go of the power and control that we have fooled ourselves in thinking that we have.

The end result of marinating is a product that can be used to nourish those we come in contact with. There are a couple of individuals, in addition to myself, that I am praying God will begin a marinating process on. Out of fairness to them and those around them, I won’t give any specifics. If you are led by God, I ask that you pray about these situations. First I pray that they will allow themselves to be marinated. The hurts from the past and need for power and control have toughened their hearts. This has resulted in some very toxic situations. I also ask that you pray for me as I continue to allow myself to me marinated. It is my hope that God can somehow allow me to “share” my marinade with these individuals.

Well, there’s your “cooking” lesson for today. Next time you get out the marinade in an effort to season and tenderize a piece of meat, I hope this comes to your mind and you will remind yourself to immerse yourself in God and allow your heart to be marinated.

Let us bow our heads.....

At the beginning of meals, we pause to say grace.  We take the time to thank God for what He has provided for us.  Whether it's simple or complex, the basic message stays the same.  Thank  you.  Grace doesn't stop there though.  In a few simple sentences, we can sum up our relationship with God.  Let me illustrate..

Come, Lord Jesus....We invite God to be a part of our lives,  He is a gentleman.  He will not force Himself on us. It is conscious free will to have Him as a part of our lives.
Be our guest....How do you treat guests in your home?  Do you ignore them until you need them for something?  Do you blame them when something in your life goes wrong as a result of your own choices?  When we ask God to be our guest, we need to treat Him with the honor and respect that He deserves.
Let this food...God provides for our needs.  We may not always recognize His provision and it may come in ways that we don't expect, but God is there.
to us be blessed....We must recognize that everything is a gift from God and a blessing to us.  We are nothing without Him. Just the act of praying serves to remind us that we are totally dependent on God.  The food, the ability to prepare it, the people that eat with us are all because of God

There are many table prayers.  However you pray, be mindful of your dependence on God, the wonderful things that He has blessed you with, and how you can use those blessings in service to Him.


As my sister-in-law, Holly, prayed..... "Bless this food to our bodies and our bodies to your service."