Leave the gingernuts alone
Proverbs 16:9 NLT “we can make our plans, but God determines our steps”
Baking is technicality and science as well as expertise. It’s a complex symphony that’s subject to many factors that are beyond the control of the baker. But biscuits, they are different, especially the more robust ones like gingernuts. Add the ingredients, make sure they’re not too wet, scoop the mix, bake, eat, repeat the eating part. I have made thousands of gingernuts, and apart from expertise and experience they have a thing. Yes, a thing - it’s the smell. It drives you to be tempted to touch them before they are ready. Once you do that you leave a dent, or worse, and there is no coming back from it.
I enjoy making gingernuts, its one of those”by feel” recipes that you can’t really explain, you just do. If you get it they set beautifully crisp and cracked on the outside, slightly soft on the inside and perfectly round.
You know when they’re close by trying to move them on the baking paper. If you can twirl them round on the paper they’re ready to come out and set on the tray Or, the ‘by feel’ part lets you instinctively know how much longer they need. It here the dent happens, if you’re too enthusiastic, not gentle enough or just willing them to be done, you spoil the shape, they will collapse and you’re left with a wonky shaped biscuit. Not ok if you are selling them, but great if they’re for you to eat.
There are things we don’t know about, factors we haven’t considered and impatience we have to control. The outworking of these things are not so important with biscuits, but they are if the biscuit you’re trying to twirl early is Gods plan, his steps. And to take the baking analogy a step further, you make biscuits for other people as well as yourself. Gods plans, his steps are not just for you they all involve other people, and things way beyond your consideration and thoughts. If you interfere with the process, however benign your motives, the result will be wonky.
So, don’t be too quick to act or interpret Gods word, his revelations, his plans and steps, let them sit with you a while so they can ‘set’ in your spirit then rise to your heart and mind. Leave the plans alone.
Proverbs 4:11 NLT ‘I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths.’
