Simmer on This

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. I CORINTHIANS 13:4-5 NIV  

From the second she woke up, she knew it was going to be a long, busy day. But she was prepared! The day before, she had purchased the ingredients to make her favorite version of Crock-Pot curry. Standing at the kitchen counter, she coarsely chopped up chicken thighs, garlic, ginger, and onions and threw them into the pot. Then she poured in a cup of broth and a boatload of Indian spices. 

But right then, one of her kids rounded the corner as he was getting ready for school. “Are you making chicken curry?!” his hopeful voice rose along with his eyebrows. “Can I have some now?” 

The mom laughed and shook her head. “It would make you sick if you ate it right this second. I just put it in! It takes all day to simmer so that the chicken cooks and the spices blend better.” 

Settling for a bowl of cereal instead, he announced, “Well, I’m so excited for dinner tonight!” 

Her son became willing to wait once he realized that sampling the food too early would not taste the same or even be safe. As God’s kids, we can apply the same life lesson. Like ingredients for a sensationally savory meal, God tells us plainly what needs to go in (or stay out of) the mix if we want our lives to taste like His goodness. But patience is the slow cooker in which all of life’s circumstances and our responses to them are given ample time and space to blend. If our hearts stay warm to God’s ways, over time our lives become a pleasing aroma that honors God and points the desperately hungry world back to the only source that can satisfy. 

God is not in a hurry, and we don’t need to be either. When we are patient with ourselves and others, we create space for forgiveness, love, peace, and many other godly qualities to properly develop in our lives. When this happens, we can leave an impact on others that feeds their souls and lasts for eternity. 

Lord, I get impatient when I forget that You are the Master Chef. But I relinquish control of my life into Your loving, capable hands. I look forward to tasting and seeing Your goodness as You complete the work You’ve begun in me. In Jesus’s name. 

This is an excerpt from True Sweetness: Growing in the Fruits of the Spirit – a devotional now available on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.