Cooking Withdrawal and Lessons from God

Good morning guys! It's been about three weeks now since I've had the opportunity to cook. Sure it's been a nice break, but I'm feeling rusty and need stretching. Plus, my dishes, pots & pans, and bakeware are dusty. Literally; from all of the sheetrock dustcloud that is our home. I don't know if I can still be labeled a newlywed, but as far as cooking skills are concerned, I still haven't gotten them down yet, i.e. it's still a struggle for me to monthly meal plan and cook a hearty meal every night.

For ladies who have traveling husbands like mine, it only makes my cooking frequency worse. He desires me to 'save' the meals he really likes during the month instead of cooking them while gone. I totally understand this, the only problem is, is that I end up having a meal plan deficit. Can anyone else relate to this?

But back to the post's title, I cannot wait to return to cooking and baking once the kitchen is completed. As I was organizing the new cabinets last night, I lustfully held each bag of flour, thinking of what tasty breads and cookies could be made. How bizarre is that?! Yes, I'd say you're certified insane if you're lusting after flour :) Thinking of a related quote by the great C.S. Lewis, "He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it, hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart."

Update: Brent just called and said our oven was hooked up and that I could cook tonight if I wanted. Ironically, the next thought I had was "Tonight? Too soon...." LOL!

I especially grew impatient when I read all the yummy things that Jess over at Making Home has been preparing prior to her son's birth. Those chicken pocket sandwiches sound really good. I definitely think we won't be lacking for homecooked food once the kitchen is done. Mainly because 1) we're tired of restaurant food and 2) we "owe" several meals to lots of our friends and both families. If anything, I continue to be amazed at how God provides through those we know in our time of need. We are truly blessed to have such generous and hospitable friends. Heck, we even owe showers to Adam and Amanda, lol.

God taught us some other lessons too; such as learning how fortunate we are compared with most of the world's people. Not having hot water for almost a week now has been a humbling experience. And over the weekend while we stayed with Brent's family, we dealt with getting very little sleep because of the cold. (Mind you, Brent's family does have heat, but we were staying in the (frigid) basement on an air mattress with only some light covering). We huddled as closely as we possibly could for any trace of heat, and I realize that that's a sad reality for lots of people. I am not in any way attempting to compare the depth of my experiences to those less fortunate or trivialize that. I am only saying that God showed me through the lack of daily conveniences I casually partake of, that I am blessed. Those teachable moments have gotten me beyond myself, and thinking of others in dire circumstances.

I know that one way God seems to get my attention is by taking away something or someone to show my great need and dependence for Him. To recognize the gifts, but more importantly the Giver.

Deuteronomy 8: 10-18, "When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath." (Emphasis mine).