Why The Kitchen?

First, the obvious answer… I am a pastry chef!!!

Next, the less obvious, deeper, more meaningful reasoning behind titling my attempt at a blog “Life Lessons From My Kitchen”:

The kitchen is the place where all of the cooking happens. When (hopefully before) you are cooking, you have to do a couple of things. 1. PLAN what you are going to prepare. 2.  You have to make sure the area is SUITABLE FOR food PREPARATION and 3. You have to set up your work area for the most EFFICIENT WORK FLOW.

A long time ago, much of family living took place in the kitchen. People even slept in the kitchen! And, you can best believe, that if a house didn’t have a formal dining room, they certainly had a kitchen.

For me, my brain is like my kitchen…

I am a planner. I plan so much, that I will generally think about something so long that I talk myself out of whatever it is I am planning. 

As for making sure my “work area” is suitable for preparation, My work area is MY LIFE, everything about me, from what I say when I open my mouth, to what I DON’T say when I open my mouth. Anyone that knows me, knows that I wear my emotions on my sleeve and you can pretty much tell how I am feeling by my posture, or even my eyes (my besties say I blink lots when I am upset- I’m working on that!).  It’s no secret that I am a Christ follower. My preparation comes from the Bible. I am trying to live my life according to the standards that are given in the Bible. This isn’t easy, and I can’t do it in my own strength. But, it says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” So, I will be boasting on my weaknesses as I share life lessons from my “kitchen”.  Every post won’t be “hidey high and Sunday morning”. Hopefully, my lessons will serve as lessons to someone else. If not, I’ve heard that I tell a good story!

My work area (brain) set up? For the most efficient workflow? Hmmmmm. Well, I look for a lesson in EVERYTHING. I guess that’s why I tell such good stories (besides that, I love to read.. Steven King, Dean Koontz, Danielle Steele used to be some of my favorites). I love to talk to my kids about what they could learn from something (Hopefully I show them just as much as I tell them). I even had a life lesson from the taco truck once. I wish I could remember what the lesson was, but I wasn’t blogging, and didn’t write it down!

Anyway, I digress. The visual condition of your path does not indicate what the destination will look like.  I read TODAY on Kimberly Jones-Pothier’s Facebook page  “Don’t confuse your path with your destination, just because it’s stormy now, doesn’t mean you aren’t headed for sunshine.”

My “path” hasn’t been the prettiest. It hasn’t been the most straightforward. I used to feel like I had lost so much time because of the life choices I have made.  But, as long as I am living, I have the opportunity to continue to learn lessons. As I meditate on 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT), I know that I can be transformed. While I haven't always been set up for the most "efficient workflow" that is being changed....

"So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."