A Pot of Beans

Let's see the power of a heart that is giving thanks painted on the pages of this post.

Another Tuesday stretches on as hungry bellies rumble and dinner time lingers around the corner. In my kitchen it would seem that two busy cooks are hard at work, preparing a meal. 

One, in a hurry and flurry with murring tones, tosses beans in a pot. Plain, old beans covered in water. A stinky onion waits to be chopped and added to the beans. Steam and heat make them bubble. Some salt helps make them somewhat edidable. With a huff and a puff, some oil and seasoning are hastily stirred in the mix. Eager to finish the task, this one grabs a pot to start the rice. Beans and rice for dinner tonight.

The other cook, with a smile, pauses as she gently washes some dry, brown beans. Pouring them into a pot she adds cool water and freshly chopped onions. They simmer and steam with a growing aroma. She waits for them to be tender and then adds a generous amount of seasoning and spices to the pot of boiling beans with a little oil for flavor. Her grin shows her pleasure as she envisions her family eating these lovely beans. She measures out water to steam some rice. She cooks it light and fluffy, as the gains turn into plump white morsels. She gives it a dash of pepper and a sprinkle of salt. Her heart is warmed by the joy she feels in her work.

Hmmm...it would seem that my kitchen has two very different meals being prepared, but in fact it is just one as I stand in the kitchen with the pot of beans boiling. You see, I am the two cooks, as part of my heart complains and murrers inside. Yet Christ calls me to give thanks, and when I do it transforms that which is plain and ordinary into a lovely feast of greatest value. So remember the power of giving thanks and living a life of gratfulness to the Lord.