I guess I honestly haven't been 'cooking' much of late. Making a cup of tea and warming food from others is kinda different. Obviously eating out is great but doesn't always rock (Last time we went to our ka fave Thai restaurant, they served us food which was rather stale). Even though cooking is not always rewarding, it nice not to be dependent on someone else for all your eating.
So, at the moment, I am going through the book of Daniel and enjoying it! I find it strange how even though I knew most of the stories, they are fresh and I am being challenged in a scary way. Currently living in a foreign country, oba I 'identify' with Daniel in a new way. Him and his friends were not just foreigners, they were captives but they did not aim at 'fitting-in' or 'blending-in' or doing stuff so they could be highly regarded by the officials overseeing them... rather, their standard was God. Their allegiance, service or whatever was to God.
I look forward to the day I learn that lesson once and for all! The day I learn 'for rio' and it actually sticks in my head that I should NOT aim to please people but God; that'll be the day I take the world by storm! Anyway, the learning curve continues! In Daniel 1, it mentions how he was determined not to defile himself. Guess his demeanor was not a coincidence- it took firm resolve for him to be thus. Something that a friend of mine calls DELIBERATE EFFORT.
Well, Daniel and his friends said no the king's food that was served to them(how do you even do that when you are just a captive?Dryness I tell you!). In addition, despite the possibility of severe consequences, they also refused to bow to a statue that the king had erected and when asked to explain their actions they said(Italics- me):
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. (Huh? I think maybe you do seeing as you are captives and he is like ummmm the powerful king?Anyway... they continued to jazz..)
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us(the Babylon pips didn't even know about this God).
He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty(still managing to sound respectful).
But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you(Huh? who are you again?),
Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
These guys were clearly not blending-in! It did not matter that everyone else was 'doing-what-needs-to-be-done' to get by. It did not matter what the consequences could be. Even in this foreign land, they did not bow down to the idol. Having been captured and taken to Babylon could have made them feel like God had abandoned them and besides, no one back home would know or care about such 'trivial details'. But even here, they honoured the God who is unseen.
I pray that God will help us to be deliberate about living for Him even when we are in situations where we could best be described as the under-dog. I pray that it shall be clear to us to whom our allegiance is above all and that will cause us not to be lazy bums but people who seek to honour God wherever we are whatever it takes. May we stop being afraid of being different from everybody else and learn to say NO so that there is real power in our yes. Also, may we take time to do some cooking ;-)
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| Image from http://londonerfromafar.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/cooking-eating-eating-cooking/ |
