Spiritual Disciplines: Get in the Kitchen!

I tried a new recipe recently. 

A family friend, Jeanette, used to make a dish for my family, and it's one of those meals that we crave every so often. You know the culinary longing that hits when the weather ushers in the right temperature and the aroma of the air is full of nostalgia. For my family, the dish that took us to a place of fond memories was chicken pot pie.

So that afternoon, I decided to get to work in the kitchen. I prepped a perfect and easy-to-make pie crust (so simple that it only used less than a handful of ingredients!) And the result was the best and most buttery pie crust I have ever tasted!

However, while my pie crust came out perfectly, the savory chicken pot pie filling didn't have the same stellar results. Not only were the vegetables undercooked, but I don't even think I was baking this savory pie at the right temperature. 

Looking back now, I wish I had spent more time in the kitchen with my friend. There is such a difference between writing down a recipe over the phone and being in the actual kitchen with a culinary talent to learn and watch the tricks of the trade. And maybe, just maybe, had I spent time with her when she made the pot pie, I would have learned on a deeper level.

Get in the Kitchen

As I considered my experience with this recipe, I was met with a paralleled revelation.

We are called to be Jesus' disciples, and as one of his followers, we should look, talk, act, and love like him. But how do we do that?

We get in the kitchen with Jesus by resting in his presence and not just through the relayed message of who he is. We show up for Jesus each day, surrendering in a place where we can hear from him. And as we discipline ourselves in the spiritual disciplines of Jesus, we will move closer and closer to being transformed in his image.

Perfect Recipe of Discipline

I would venture to say that different seasons of life require different and realistic disciplines of the faith. 

A new mom holding a newborn may only have margin for prayer and worship, whereas an empty nester may have more space for hours of meditation and study. 

And isn't God's grace and mercy beautiful in that way?

The truth is that disciplines don't change you; it is the presence of God that does! And as we show up with our whole hearts and resolve to meet with the Holy Spirit, inviting Him to change us according to His truth, He will begin to chip at our hearts of stone, transforming them into a heart of flesh.

Malfunction in the Recipe

However, choosing to engage in a discipline is not enough. For example, systemic racism is running rampant in our country, to the point that black men and women are losing their lives. In that space, I am witnessing people in the church not stand up for what is right. 

And in all transparency, I began praying, "Lord, these people are going to church, preaching your word every Sunday, and reading their Bibles each morning. How do they not see the injustices going on here?"

At this moment, I was reminded that it is not the discipline that creates a pure heart for those things that break the heart of heaven. Instead, it is God's presence that creates hearts like Jesus.

Double Check the Temperature of Your Heart

Richard Foster wrote a book called, Celebration of Discipline. And in this book, he shares the practices we engage in that put us in God's presence. 

He shares that spiritual disciplines always begin with a yearning. It is the beautiful fine line of desiring him more than anything that this world can give – even more than our marriage, healing, children, and jobs!

This tension can be the still small voice and desire in your heart to get close to God, or if you feel distanced, it is something you can ask our faithful God for. Either way, when you have a spirit of longing, it causes you to show up, and at that moment, God will show up because your heart is in the right place.

Proverbs 4:23, NIV says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

Be encouraged that as we engage in spiritual disciplines, our love for Jesus will undoubtedly flow from our hearts while we seek His face and invite Him to transform us from the inside out.

And as you get in the kitchen with Jesus and learn the steps to create a beautiful spirit-filled life, you will glean all the tools needed to share that recipe with others.