For me, cooking has never been easy.

 have no natural talent for creating beautiful, tasty dishes for my family. Because of my continued failures in the kitchen, cooking soon became a stressful chore to be dreaded.

I began to pray daily, asking God to provide me with patience and talent, but his answer was not more talent. It was a change of attitude. God revealed that providing nutritious food for my family is a ministry. 

As shown in the Bible, a ministry is not always easy and does not have to be perfect to be effective. Tying a shoe, washing a dish, writing a letter, mowing a lawn—these are all activities that minister to someone’s basic need with kindness, love and compassion. If Jesus ministered to his disciples by washing their feet, I reasoned, is it really so unpleasant for me to cook a meal?

I re-entered my kitchen with a new attitude of ministry, not misery, and the results have been amazing. The time I spend preparing and cleaning all speak to the true nature of Jesus’ love for us, an attitude of service that we pass on to the ones we love and that they in turn pass on to others. 

My meals are far from perfect, but they are served with hands and heart that show God’s love in action.

Prayer: O Lord, strengthen us as we minister to others. Amen