Ingredients in God’s Recipes

My pantry is full of treasures. Some of those treasures, like black beans and salsa, have become old staples for me. Some treasures are gifts from friends. For example, last week while helping a friend pack up her pantry of treasures, I noticed beautifully colored twist-tie pasta that looked like butterflies. She brought home the pasta from Italy as gifts for friends. Now, the package is among my treasures.

 

The point of having pantry treasures is creation.

 

As the creator, I decide on an outcome. If needed, I consult a recipe. Sometimes I need to grab ingredients from the store.

 

I thought about the impact of one individual ingredient today as I stood on Aisle 15 scanning the shelves for my specific treasure. The end result is good without that ingredient, but fantastic with it. It’s a small thing with a unique flavor that can influence all the other flavors it combines with.

 

[O]ut of small things proceedeth that which is great.

 

Standing in the baking aisle looking for mint chocolate chips, the Holy Ghost taught me about spiritual gifts.

 

Seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;

For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do;

For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.

To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.

 

As I plan my creation and follow my recipe, I gather the ingredients/treasures/spiritual gifts that I need. Then I combine those ingredients, usually by vigorous beating and intense heat, until each of the ingredient’s flavor and texture gives way to a united whole, blending together, and becoming something altogether new and delicious to me.

 

After my creation is complete, I exclaim, “It is good!”

 

 And I, God, saw everything that I had made, and, behold, all things which I had made were very good.

 

One small ingredient combined with other ingredients produces amazing results.

 

In my mind, I saw many different people with spiritual gifts. I saw recipes to create families and unified wards and happiness. I saw recipes that looked like presidencies and spouses and friends. I saw the Lord’s work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children.

 

And His recipes called for all of His treasures, His children, with specific talents and abilities, visions and dreams, armed with spiritual gifts reflecting parts of His nature to build and lift each other and glorify Him.

 

So, we find ourselves in life’s mixing bowl with others who seem as fundamentally different from us as butter from sugar. However, as the beating begins, butter and sugar blend beautifully together, creating the perfect foundation for eggs and vanilla and flour, et cetera, to form a yummy dough.

 

But blending isn’t enough. The ingredients are then melded together in heat to become the perfect, delectable cookie.

 

Each ingredient is vital to the creator’s planned outcome. Each ingredient provides different yet perfectly suited properties to the cookie.

 

So is each person in our journey. Each is vital to our progress. We can learn from everyone, from an interaction’s happiness or triggers. Despite feeling intense mixing and heat, we can trust that the end result will be delicious and desirable.

 

A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

I am the small thing that, with great mixing and intense heat, becomes unified with others to fulfill God’s work and glory.

And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.