“The irony is that the more a kitchen is visible as a symbol of status and identity, the less it is used.”1 Louise O. Fresco
I came across this quote while reading an article, and I had to save it for further thought. It reminded me of the way so many of us are tempted to view our hobbies. Images of picture-perfect sourdough loaves, beautiful soap bars, crisp photographs, or perfectly executed weight lifting exercises fill our feeds. The constant barrage makes us feel like we not only have to enjoy ourselves in our leisure, but we better make it look good too.
Yet, just like the magazine-level kitchens, the more we strive to cook, sew, build, or photograph for status, the less fun we’re actually having. Joy mostly looks messy—like counters full of dishes and flour on every handle knob. It could look like our first scarf with stray snags of yarn sticking out from the rows. It could be a picture slightly overexposed, or like a sweaty human awkwardly trying to imitate the barbell exercise.
I still love a good golden loaf of bread (believe me—I send out pictures). Yet that loaf sits in a heap of mess from the process. And that’s ok.
The good news is, as Christians we already have a firm identity. Why chase for another? We’re sons and daughters of the Creator of the world, who chose us in him before its foundation to be holy and blameless before him. He adopted us through Jesus Christ, offered us redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, and lavished upon us the riches of his grace (Eph. 1:4-9).
We belong to our Father. We can stop striving, and go make a little mess while we play.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/11/dinners-ready/416991/
Oh, I forgot. Even though my “mini kitchen” is at te back of my great room (can se it all!) I don’t have it perfect. It’s liveable….meets our living. Thanks for the encouragement.
I really don’t know how I started getting your newsletter. I usually delete those I don’t remember, but yours caught my “mind”. I just led a Bible Study on Ephesians. When I do something like teach, GOD confirms my study, my learning and doing it, during the process by reminding me of things I learned; a connection in other books of Bible; or by hearing someone preach or reading an article. This morning before I left to go teach Ephesians, I read your e-mail and there at the end of the article a reference to Ephesians 1. Hallelujah! Yes, confirmation, but even more to remind me again how BLESSED we are in being given the ONE IDENTITY we need and the ONLY ONE, because it’s the ONE given to us created in the image of Jesus Christ, HIS CHILD! Tk U!