Why We Do Matters

Cooking and baking from scratch is a lot of fun and one of the many things my husband appreciates about me. I love hearing him tell me he loves what I’ve made and it makes me especially proud when he tells me that I should never make something again- because it means I did such a good job he does not want to stop eating it. When something does not turn out though, my initial reaction is almost always one of failure and extreme disappointment, because I obviously cannot cook or bake and don’t belong in the kitchen.

Perfectionist, much? Yes.

What does this have to do with why we should do the hard things? What could flour, butter, and eggs have to do with honoring God? A lot, actually.

To clarify, the ingredients do not have much to do with anything but my attitude while using them certainly does. When I am in the kitchen there is a definite temptation to make it all about me.

“Look at how incredibly this turned out! Just eat it and be happy I made lunch, how dare you have the audacity to dislike what I put effort into!” -Me, when my five-year-old does not want to try the chicken tikka masala I just made for the first time.

Not the prettiest image, but a realistic one at times. When my focus shifts to my accomplishments, what I am doing, and how others should perceive it I am not honoring God and I am not glorifying Him with the work of my hands. No matter if I turn out the best tasting, most nutritious, and beautiful meal in the world, if I do it to relish my pride or with a focus on how much work and effort I am having to put in, I strip the meal of much value by making it all about me.

However, if I work in the kitchen to feed my family with a heart for serving them and for honoring God with the food I put before them, it does not matter if that meal turns out just edible because it has worth.  The value comes from the reason for the act. When it is about honoring God and serving others the act becomes more than just filling bellies or growing egos.

Eternal worth is of much greater importance than any praise here on earth. Only those things we do in service to God matter in the long run, only pointing our families to Christ matters truly.

Will my children remember that I burnt some of the pancakes in October 2018 five years from now? No, probably not. Will they remember singing praise songs and talking about Jesus while they helped me stir pancake batter? I certainly hope so.

What we do matters, but why we’re doing it matters a lot too.

Salvation is found in nothing but Jesus. Cooking and baking do not play a role in getting, keeping, or solidifying my salvation. Even if every single thing I touched in the kitchen turned out perfectly and I fed a whole nation, it would not change or affect my soul or who my soul belongs to.

When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. 

Ephesians 1:13

Maybe you aren’t much into baking, but maybe you sing, or paint, or run. Whatever we do is either bringing glory to God or pushing us further away from Him. Why do we do what we do? We should do everything out of a desire to honor God and to serve Him with our lives.

Immediate view of the eternal value might not be something we see, but if we are faithful in doing all things for the glory of God, then we will get something much better than instant gratification. We will be growing in grace and honoring God with our lives, which is a treasure we can all hope to gain.

Why should we do what we do verses:

• Romans 12:1
• Colossians 3:23-24
• 1 Corinthians 3:9-13;16,23

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