A woman of noble character: my nugget

Our children were getting restless because they were bored. So, I thought we would do something we’ve not done in the past: we retrieved a pizza dough recipe and decided to make pizza just for the fun of it. While adding the brown sugar to the rest of the ingredients, my 13-year daughter asked, “That’s it? Are you sure? Can I see the recipe? (She thought she could follow recipes better than I).”

So, I handed her the recipe; she glanced at it, then I took it again, and continued to read the ingredients for her to add on, “1/2 tsp of salt,” I said.

“Why do we need salt?” asked my 9 year-old daughter.

“Well, because salt will help the dough stay soft and taste good,” I answered not really knowing if it was true.

The ingredients in this pizza dough got me thinking about Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over,…” For several months now, I’ve been pondering on this verse; trying to understand the true meaning of it. Actually, just trying to understand what it means “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” But, while I was watching and measuring with my daughter, God showed me this awesome nugget truth about the above phrase. Duh! (Of course, God didn’t say Duh!) When we measured the ingredients, we made sure it was precise (at least my daughter did) to the recipe. To make certain that the dough turned out as the recipe called for, we put in the exact amounts of ingredients. Likewise, when God measures our rewards, He makes sure the amounts are just right.

Hmmm! What about pressed down? When my daughter measured the brown sugar, she pressed the sugar to make sure she has pressed hard enough, to ensure that that was all the spoon could contain. I was imagining how God measured our rewards, our gifts, He presses hard enough to get as much in as possible. He wanted to make sure we are full of His goodness and blessings.

Shaken together. I was watching Ratatouille with my children during this Christmas break, and Remy (the mouse cook, also the main character in the movie) was tasting the things in the old lady’s house kitchen: he took a bite of the cheese and savor it; then he took a bite of a strawberry and savor it; then he took a bite of each together and savor it. While he was savoring, they showed fire crackers and running swirls to express how good it was putting the ingredients together. Mmmm, mmm! Anyhow, Remy’s point was that things taste different, (in his case in point, better) if you put them together. As I was watching that I thought “When God adds in all of my rewards and gifts, He carefully shakes them together to create one powerful product. And, when all is done, He will present to us His “just right” reward-one powerful, wonderful blessing that we can do nothing but savor it. Wow!

Running Over. God doesn’t just mix it good, but He gives until it is running over. Malachi 3:10 says, “…see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” When my Father gives His rewards to me, He does not withhold any portion of it for Himself. He gives me more than I can imagine. He opens the “floodgates of heaven”. It is much more powerful than the landslide or the earthly flood. Notice, it says “floodgates” (plural). He would not just give one. He multiplies our giving.

This new revelation was so deep and so wonderful, I felt exuberant. God has been so good. And, He’s teaching me His goodness and joy. He’s helping me to understand His word’s deeper and gave me the ability to apply it to my life and share it with you today. He’s helping me to develop my noble character His way. Praise the Lord.