I love zucchini bread. There’s nothing like it in the world.
Soft summertime goodness with butter spread on top. I could eat a whole loaf
all by myself.
So when I baked the first loaf of the season, somehow it stayed quietly hidden on the shelf of my refrigerator while a couple dozen friends came and went during a get-together this month. A crazy-fun day and night of sports and fireworks and food, nonstop talking and laughter…but no zucchini bread.
In my defense, I really didn’t think much about it the whole time. Yet after they left, visions of
But I was about to eat a slice of humble pie instead.
It was that small comment he made about how we’re called to share. Just a brief mention, then a new topic. But it kept sinking deeper into my heart. At first I petulantly rolled my eyes inwardly. I mean, really. I baked cupcakes and hosted breakfast and played chauffeur and opened my home to a dozen college students (though I loved every minute). Surely I wasn’t *gulp* selfish. It was just a little loaf of zucchini bread. Cupcakes are way cooler than that, right?
That wasn’t the point, a voice within gently prodded.
This wasn’t about cupcakes or zucchini bread. It was about my heart.
We’re called to share…everything. To open up without reserve. Holding nothing back. Remembering that everything we have is a gift. We are only stewards of this great gift of life and all it contains. We must live with open hands that receive with gratitude and share with generosity. He is the Giver (James 1:17). We must be the same. With tangible things, yes, but also with our time and our talents. We can share our material blessings by living simply, cleaning out closets, giving that last cookie to a sibling, sponsoring a child overseas. And we can share our spiritual blessings by sharing the Gospel and the gift of salvation, or sharing both our struggles and our joys with honesty and humility.
What is your zucchini bread? Is there something you keep quietly hidden away in the corner of your refrigerator, your closet…your heart? Where do you hold back in serving God or others? What struggles do you have with sharing your heart, your possessions, or your life?
Thank-you for that post. It really spoke to my heart. God bless :)
ReplyDeleteHow thought-provoking. Thank you. It is so easy to be selfish and not even realizing we are being so. May God give us the insight of how our hearts are not being shared for others.
ReplyDeleteSuch a simple way to share a very important message for all of us. Thank you for you post.... And, you also have me thinking about my nonna's zucchini bread!!
ReplyDeletecontinued blessings
I work full time outside my home and most times I come home tired. But I have used that as an excuse to not take time to visit people who are sick or lowly of heart. I feel guilty but still justify that I have worked all day and I am super tired. I sometimes say to myself that I will visit them another day, totally ignoring the prompting that I feel to visit with them. But I will say that I am working on this. I know that I have to share my time with others as well as my talent of comforting those who need comfort. Thank you for your blog and reminder to share my "zucchini bread".
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the comments, girls. I'm so glad we can all be on this journey of virtue together. :)
ReplyDeleteJ-lyn, I totally hear you on that. I have felt that way many times--sometimes ignoring the grace, sometimes acting on it...and sometimes realizing that we really do need to stay home and care for ourselves as well. Take heart, sweet sister. He cares for you and will give you the strength to decide which prompting to follow.
beautiful reflection. It is so easy to think to ourselves "I am good--Good Enough", when really we are called to give it our all. Really lovely reflection...Now, can you give us the recipe for zucchini bread? :)
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