Obedience Brings Blessings

I posted back in December about a word I got through my BSF lesson about my needing to give my passion and love for cooking to the Lord for His glory. At the time I sensed him saying to wait and that He would give me the opportunities, but to just wait. I did, and He is beginning to deliver.

And I’m also seeing a lesson that I’ve been learning recently in action… blessing comes from obedience. It’s what I’ve been seeing throughout the book of Leviticus that we’ve recently been studying in BSF.

I learned several weeks ago that our church’s youth choir was hosting a concert where they would serve dessert and hold a silent auction to raise money for their summer mission trip to Nashville. Of course, I knew I would make dessert, because you know, dessert is my middle name.

Oh, you didn’t know that? Well, it is.

And then the thought hit me: I have been to numerous charity auctions where a local chef has donated a meal for a dinner party prepared in the bidder’s home. And when I served a dinner party to some friends last fall, some of them said that I should donate a dinner party to our school’s auction. Now, I am certainly no trained chef, and the majority of the people at the auction don’t know me; which is why I put any thought of such a possibility out of my head. But I love to cook, right? So I wondered how it would go over with a group of people I know well if I donated something similar.

So, I called the person in charge of the auction to see if they wanted it. She finally got back to me and said that sure, we’d give it a shot and see how it went over.

Long story short, it went over well. During the auction it brought a decent amount. And I fixed the dinner for this couple on Friday evening (February 13th). I tell you, it was one of the biggest blessings I have ever encountered.

I cooked most of the meal at home and transported it to the home of this sweet, slightly older couple. I found that they are a couple who have been accustomed to gourmet type meals and yet with illness and age are unable to get out and enjoy those things any longer.

After all four courses had been served and I was packing up my things to leave, the hug that this sweet lady gave me was one of the most heart-felt hugs I have ever received. And on top of that she handed me some extra money, which I of course gave toward the youth choir trip, the reason for the auction in the first place. As I told my daughter, this was a way that I could give to missions.

The meal blessed them, and I was blessed as well in return.

I believe that this was part of my finding ways to use my cooking for ministry. He told me to wait, I waited on the Lord, and He is revealing His plan a little at a time. I was obedient to what I believe was his prompting to do this one thing and I was blessed immensely. I am working to be open to his leading and I believe that God is continuing to give me direction about other cooking ministry opportunities that I am exploring.

Blessings come from obedience, y’all. I experienced this principle from Leviticus in a very real way the other night. I hope that I can continue to experience such a principle and put it into action with my own children as well.

Just as my Heavenly Father has done with me.