Homemade

We talk about doing and giving our best for God and it sounds good but do we really know what that means? What is my best when it comes to living life or what am I giving to God that is my best?

During my years as caterer I worked hard to prepare the best of everything. It was my belief that food was intricately intertwined with an event. It could be a horrible location, a boring conference, or a mediocre retreat but it was made better or worse by the quality of food served.

Once while cooking for a camp whose mission was to prepare good, healthy, homemade food, and I mean homemade from soups to breads, I questioned my belief of “serving the very best.” I wondered if this monumental feat of “homemadeness" left any impression on the campers. While I liked the idea that they were being introduced to foods they may not normally eat I wondered if this wasn't a little bit over the top.

What I discovered was that “the best” did matter. One evening while dishing up grilled steak, green peppers and onions with a brownie ice cream sundae encore one camper said to me, "I'm going to miss this food. I've got to go back home to my Dad's frozen tacquitos." Aha! My quest for the answer to my “best” inquiry had ended.

When Jesus took a few ceramic water pots and turned the contents into wine a guest said to the host, "Most people serve the best first, but you have saved the best for last." Jesus knew that serving the very best made a difference.

Isn’t it funny that even something as simple as food speaks about the character of Jesus?