I believe that EVERYTHING happens for a reason…
Popcorn! Yes, popcorn! It’s one of my favorite comfort snacks, and on a lazy, rainy and dreary Saturday night, a microwaveable bag of Boom Chicka Pop paired well with the Hallmark channel. This particular brand, that I stumbled across recently, is perfectly sprinkled with sea salt, not buttery at all, but so delicious. It’s my new fav! Well, a freshly popped bag of any kind of popcorn renders mouth-watering satisfaction—a happy palatable experience. I know…It’s just popcorn, so what’s up with this story?
We already know that there’s nothing abnormal about the wonderful lifelong marriage of popcorn and movies. What wasn’t the norm on this Saturday night, was the smell that I noticed about halfway through popping this particular bag. It was different than the normal enticing smell of freshly popped popcorn, so I had to investigate. Findings? This girl now has sight of a smoking microwave, and there are actual flames inside! In a panic (and I must say that normally I’m NOT the best person to handle an emergency), I grabbed a damp dishcloth, swatted the fire, extinguishing the small flames. Whew! That worked, thank God! It was a strange, baffling, crazy and scary experience, of which I had no idea how this could’ve happened.
Well, Sunday morning is here and I’m still not understanding what caused this minor kitchen fire. I’m grateful that it wasn’t worse, but I am now wondering why God allowed this to happen. My introspective spirit won’t let it go, so here’s my take . . .
The microwave is no longer a new modern invention, but it certainly was the “best thing since sliced bread” when it first arrived on the scene. It entered into our everyday lives as a magical mode of quickness, satisfied a desire for ‘right now’, and minimized the frustration of ‘wait’! It made cooking and warming food much quicker, and a lot easier. What a great invention, but how does this apply to life, and why does it have a presence on and a purpose for this blog? Here’s my ‘why’ . . .
We have evolved into a constant microwave mode —not only for speeding up the cooking/heating process for food, but also for so many other things in life. We want everything fast! We don’t want to wait for much of anything! Patience is often a thing of the past. It has become a challenge for us, and we’re ‘good’ with that. What do we want instead? Fast money, yes…fast food, and fast cars. We rush into relationships, run to the altar, sprint to divorce court, and unfairly rush to judgement. We want acceptance ‘nuked’; we want our clothes dried quicker; we want the fastest internet speed; we want fast service for everything; we want an immediate response; we don’t have time to wait for answers; we want success yesterday; we want our blessings to show up now! These are just a few things surrounding this Message in A Microwave, but there’s, undoubtedly, more that can be added.
Rounding up these thoughts, I’m feeling a bit convicted. I am so guilty of overthinking, overanalyzing, and not only expecting answers, but I’m impatient, at times, to get them. What I’m reminded of on this Sunday morning, is that patience is a virtue. We must stop expecting everything to be so immediate, based on OUR assumptions of timeliness. Rushing the process can cause loss of flavor. Some things need to marinate! They taste better, function better, and have better long-term results, if we’re willing to accept the appropriate process and Divine progress. If we are praying for answers, guidance, and wisdom, then trust that they will arrive on time. Jumping the line and attempting to ‘microwave’ our way to the outcome can be detrimental, and not in line with God’s speed of delivery. Hmmmm…..This can clearly look like an exercise of temporary selfishness and control. Whoa, I’m speaking a loud reminder to myself right now—not because I have no faith, but because my faith sometimes needs a nudge—a reminder to trust God’s plan, and to act when I know that He is giving me the green light to do so. This is taking me back to, “It Ain’t Your Time That Matters.” 😉
So, although I want a new microwave to replace the smoked-out one, I’m not rushing! I’m trusting God to continue to reveal the right time to do so. There are certainly more life lessons that I need to learn or re-learn because of not having a microwave that’s operational and readily available. I’ve already learned that day-old link sausage tastes much better warmed up in the oven anyway! And I certainly realize that timing was everything in controlling those cute Hallmark movie night flames! Thank God for that response time! 🙂
Peace & Blessings, Lisa B
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