Why I Cook

So after an awesome Big Red Couch conversation with one of my Belgian teammates, a blog post was born. Actually, I was told that I have to blog about this topic that we discussed. So, here I am, praying the Holy Spirit will speak through me again and that the heart behind my love of everything kitchen-related will be told in a way that others can connect to.

The reason behind why I cook is because it is a way that I worship God. I am able to come before Him; to experience creation in a way that is more intimate than just being outside; to have dance parties where I can let myself go, relaxing and not having the nagging thoughts about what people are thinking of me; I see the church body come together when I cook; and best of all, I see how the sanctification process in the process of preparing food.

I'll expand those last two thoughts. First, how I see the church body come together in food. Not only is food my favorite way to love people, to bring people together, I see people in the different food that I prepare. In Scripture (1 Corinthians 12: 12-31), Paul addresses the body and how it is made up of individual parts, all with individual jobs, but brought together in different ways to accomplish one mission.

But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. (1 Corinthians 12:18-20 ESV)

 I see food in a similar light. God has created an entire planet full of wonderful things to eat. Some things can be enjoyed on their own, such as a crisp apple or a cool glass of milk. Other things He created can be enjoyed together, like a cheese burger, pesto, beer, or Indian food. The crazy part of this is that each one of those things is not only a little mini-family of individuals working together, but they are going to taste differently to every person. And God knows that. He has created us to have differing tastes, He knows what we like, He knows what we don't like, and He blesses us with the opportunity to enjoy his harmony of His creation. We are able to experience Him not only when the church gathers as a body, but also at an incredibly intimate level. When we eat, we all experience food in a different way. It is something that we can do in fellowship with others, but the experience going on inside of us is something that is ours. God meets us in a way that is totally unique to the individual. Not one recipe is the same.

Now, the sanctification part, or becoming more like Christ. As much as I wouldn't like it to be, I know the process will be continual until the day that I am called home. In my limited experience, I have found sanctification messy, painful, and similar to rehab exercises. But, the end result is always good. I see sanctification in cooking. Let's look at something that everyone should be relatively familiar with: cooking pasta. Once we get over the fact that the pasta section in the grocery store is one of the largest sections in the grocery store (much like the number of people groups on this earth), pasta cooking is pretty straight forward.

• Step one: Remove pasta from packaging. You can't cook pasta properly when it is surrounded by a box (or plastic wrapping). Like pasta, we can't begin our sanctification until we are taken out of our little box.
• Step two: Boil water. And not just the little bubbles, but a good, rolling boil. The job won't get done if the water isn't hot.
• Step three: Add pasta to boiling water. There's really no way around this step. Pasta must meet boiling water. We live in a culture that preaches comfort and easy living. But, as one of the principles that we are going over here said, God cares more about our condition than our comfort. 
• Step four: Cook the pasta, at a slightly reduced heat, for a period of time. Unlike blanching vegetables, this isn't instantaneous. The good news about this step is that the heat is ever so slightly reduced, and there is some relief offered in the stirring that occurs on occasion. This makes sure the pasta is cooking and isn't sticking together. If you let it just cook in heat, the end result isn't as pretty or appealing. 
• Step five: Drain the pasta. Shake it out, but don't wash it. Getting rid of the water allows for anything to be removed that shouldn't be added to the finished product, but washing it will remove too much of what makes pasta what it is. 
• Step six: Mix it together with other ingredients. This is my favorite part of the process. There are some days where I stick with familiar pasta add-ons, but there are days where I look around my kitchen and just start tossing things in a bowl. While cooked pasta would, I guess, be an okay snack or meal, it is definitely enjoyed better with other things. It wasn't meant to be alone. And we aren't meant to be alone, either. God created us for fellowship, to be a family, to walk through this life with others. 

I know not everyone sees cooking the way that I do. I know that God has definitely used me as a way to reach people by having me cook good things and share them with others. I want to feed the hungry - both the physically and the spiritually hungry. The Gospel is scandalous, offensive to, and unwanted by a lot of people, and sometimes conversations can be tricky to share God's love. But, I have yet to meet a person who would refuse a good, home cooked meal at a table with others. So, for as long as the Lord allows me, I will continue to worship Him through food and inviting both believers and not-yet-believers to my table, sharing my love for them through food and praying that they are able to see some of the love that God has for all of us.