Mathematically, it sounds like it should work. Instead of grilling the chicken fillets for TEN minutes on medium/half heat, I should be able to cook them in FIVE minutes on full heat, correct? We all know that 10 x .5 = 5 x 1. Easy peasy.
You know where I'm going with this, don't you, dear reader? I'm sure you're already chuckling (and rightfully so!) at the image of twenty-year-old Melanie gasping in horror at the charred-yet-pink chicken fillets in the skillet. That exercise in trying to save five minutes of my day ultimately ended with ruined meat in the trash can, and a quick run to McDonald's for a mediocre meal. My impatience ultimately cost me much more in time, and money, than if I had just followed the recipe from the beginning.
A second case in point: roasting vegetables. Whether I'm searing Brussels sprouts, broccoli, or sweet potatoes, all of these veggies need 45 solid minutes at 425F to reach maximum flavor. No 22.5 minutes at 850F (!) shortcut here. No half-roasted, bland and tough legumes. Nothing beats the taste of a caramelized, tender, melt-in-your-mouth roasted morsel from God's green earth. If I want to savor such a delicious delight, however, then I must plan for the 45 minutes I need to cook my vegetable of choice. Roasting takes time.
Time is also the best ingredient for many other food-related endeavors: marinating meat. Wine fermentation. Fruit and vegetable ripening. Heck, even composting wholesome soil from food scraps takes time! God has taught me through each of these natural processes the value gained from the willingness to wait.
As I've improved in my cooking skills over the years, I've also seen how these culinary lessons apply to other realms of life. For example, weight loss. The five pounds I lost in three days by running and starving myself so I could fit in a bridesmaid's dress came right back on after the wedding. In contrast, the twenty pounds I lost in six months from healthier food selection, smaller portions, and regular kickboxing classes has stayed off for almost a year.
Recently, I've been reflecting on these reassuring words from Scripture: "The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage"(Psalm 16: 5-6). What does it mean to live within pleasant boundary lines? These verses are often heralded as evidence of our need to maintain proper boundaries in relationships. We cannot do everything, and we must learn how to say "no."
That meaning is certainly there, but I detect other applications of these verses, as well. Accepting God's pleasant boundary lines also means living within our limitations of time and space. I can only be in one place at one time. The more I have the humility and patience to accept this, the more I am able to enjoy the actual place where I am in any given moment. Instead of attempting supernatural feats of multitasking that often end in anxiety and panic, I can instead look around me, catch glimpses of quotidian beauty, and trust that God will use my small actions in this moment to bring big, long-lasting transformation.
Yet when will everything get done, you may ask? If I only tackle one task at once, and even take my time in doing so, won't the chores pile up? Won't I fall behind so much that I can never catch up?
Here's a beautiful secret, dear reader, gracefully woven into the tapestry of the universe: the more I live in God's pleasant boundaries, and accept the limitations of embodied living, the more efficient I actually become. Jesus commands us to "strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [i.e. clothes, food, and shelter] will be given to you as well"(Matthew 6:33). Instead of starting my day by checking email and doing chores as I did in the past, I now start the morning in Bible study and prayer. Only then can I learn how God wants to direct my steps. If the Lord then asks me to take two hours today to meet with just one person for encouragement and prayer, then I need to be faithful to that task.
Spending such time may not feel "efficient." Yet if I prioritize God's Kingdom over my own to-do list, then the to-do list always, and mysteriously, works itself out. For example, I've showed up at the store to find the exact item I required marked 50% off. I've glanced down at the newspaper to discover the perfect restaurant for the event I need to plan. I've checked my email to find someone else has already sent the information that was on my mind. I don't know how these things happen, dear reader. I only know that if I am faithful to the task God has called me to do, however humble or time-consuming it may sound, then the Holy Spirit sorts out the other logistics. It's mysterious, exciting, and liberating. I wouldn't want to live any other way.
You know where I'm going with this, don't you, dear reader? I'm sure you're already chuckling (and rightfully so!) at the image of twenty-year-old Melanie gasping in horror at the charred-yet-pink chicken fillets in the skillet. That exercise in trying to save five minutes of my day ultimately ended with ruined meat in the trash can, and a quick run to McDonald's for a mediocre meal. My impatience ultimately cost me much more in time, and money, than if I had just followed the recipe from the beginning.
A second case in point: roasting vegetables. Whether I'm searing Brussels sprouts, broccoli, or sweet potatoes, all of these veggies need 45 solid minutes at 425F to reach maximum flavor. No 22.5 minutes at 850F (!) shortcut here. No half-roasted, bland and tough legumes. Nothing beats the taste of a caramelized, tender, melt-in-your-mouth roasted morsel from God's green earth. If I want to savor such a delicious delight, however, then I must plan for the 45 minutes I need to cook my vegetable of choice. Roasting takes time.
Time is also the best ingredient for many other food-related endeavors: marinating meat. Wine fermentation. Fruit and vegetable ripening. Heck, even composting wholesome soil from food scraps takes time! God has taught me through each of these natural processes the value gained from the willingness to wait.
As I've improved in my cooking skills over the years, I've also seen how these culinary lessons apply to other realms of life. For example, weight loss. The five pounds I lost in three days by running and starving myself so I could fit in a bridesmaid's dress came right back on after the wedding. In contrast, the twenty pounds I lost in six months from healthier food selection, smaller portions, and regular kickboxing classes has stayed off for almost a year.
Recently, I've been reflecting on these reassuring words from Scripture: "The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage"(Psalm 16: 5-6). What does it mean to live within pleasant boundary lines? These verses are often heralded as evidence of our need to maintain proper boundaries in relationships. We cannot do everything, and we must learn how to say "no."
That meaning is certainly there, but I detect other applications of these verses, as well. Accepting God's pleasant boundary lines also means living within our limitations of time and space. I can only be in one place at one time. The more I have the humility and patience to accept this, the more I am able to enjoy the actual place where I am in any given moment. Instead of attempting supernatural feats of multitasking that often end in anxiety and panic, I can instead look around me, catch glimpses of quotidian beauty, and trust that God will use my small actions in this moment to bring big, long-lasting transformation.
Yet when will everything get done, you may ask? If I only tackle one task at once, and even take my time in doing so, won't the chores pile up? Won't I fall behind so much that I can never catch up?
Here's a beautiful secret, dear reader, gracefully woven into the tapestry of the universe: the more I live in God's pleasant boundaries, and accept the limitations of embodied living, the more efficient I actually become. Jesus commands us to "strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [i.e. clothes, food, and shelter] will be given to you as well"(Matthew 6:33). Instead of starting my day by checking email and doing chores as I did in the past, I now start the morning in Bible study and prayer. Only then can I learn how God wants to direct my steps. If the Lord then asks me to take two hours today to meet with just one person for encouragement and prayer, then I need to be faithful to that task.
Spending such time may not feel "efficient." Yet if I prioritize God's Kingdom over my own to-do list, then the to-do list always, and mysteriously, works itself out. For example, I've showed up at the store to find the exact item I required marked 50% off. I've glanced down at the newspaper to discover the perfect restaurant for the event I need to plan. I've checked my email to find someone else has already sent the information that was on my mind. I don't know how these things happen, dear reader. I only know that if I am faithful to the task God has called me to do, however humble or time-consuming it may sound, then the Holy Spirit sorts out the other logistics. It's mysterious, exciting, and liberating. I wouldn't want to live any other way.