Do I, or don’t I? Have you ever been in a quandary about attempting to do something?
I was walking through the baking section at the grocery store when something caught my eye. It was a box for making homemade yeast rolls. I read the directions on the back. Dare I try to make them? If you read my article: “Chocolate Mess,” then you understand my hesitation. In case you haven’t read it, when I was kid, I tried to bake a chocolate cake all by myself. Let’s just it didn’t go that well. I had as much cake batter slung across the kitchen as I did in the baking pan. It even went on the ceiling.
But I was now an adult who had been married for a couple of years. Plus, I had learned a few things in my cooking adventures. So, I tossed the box into my shopping cart. I was confident that even if the rolls didn’t come out as I hoped, I wouldn’t have a messy kitchen to clean up this time.
As soon as I returned back home, I started to make my yeast roll. I added my ingredients to make the dough. I kneaded it and let it sit to rise for a while. Then I kneaded it some more. Next, I shaped the dough into rolls and shoved them in the oven. There wasn’t much to clean up. Nothing was on the cabinet doors or the ceiling. Best of all, when the rolls came out, they were picture perfect. Seriously, they could have been used in some kind of advertisement. I placed some butter on one and took a big bite. It was delicious. I had just taken a big bite out of Heaven.
I wanted to share my delicious treasure. To be honest, I also wanted to show off how well the rolls had turned out. As it so happened, my Mamaw Jo’s friend Ms. J was visiting her that day. So, I wrapped up some of my warm and tasty rolls and took them to Mamaw’s house. I walked into the kitchen and laid the rolls onto the table. Ms. J and Mamaw immediately ate one. I smiled, sat back in my chair, and then I proceeded to tell them about baking them. Ms. J licked her fingers and said, “Well, you did a great job. They were delicious.” My heart sank when Mamaw said, “She made them from a box.”
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
Did it hurt my feelings when Mamaw said that? Honestly, it did. Over the years, I have come to realize that not everyone will understand the good works that you do for them. But that is not an excuse to stop. Keep at it. Do The Lord’s work regardless of man. It will come
to fruition in the end.
After that, I didn’t make any more homemade yeast rolls from a box. Instead, I bought them in the freezer section. You know what, they were very good too. My waist line can attest to that.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.