A Better Recipe for Cream Puffs
If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. - John 8:31-32
In the 33 years that I’ve known my grandmother, I’ve never once seen her use a recipe. She is easily the best cook I know, so, I still try to squeeze some directions out of her.
Her advice stinks.
If I ask her how to make something, she will often say something like, “You know what to do! Stop asking me!” So you might imagine my surprise when I found a small pile of recipe cards in her pantry last week.
“Nonna!” I exclaimed. “YOU HAVE RECIPES?!”
She laughed as I picked one out and read it. The recipe was for cream puffs and there were only two ingredients listed.
500G “farina”
3 eggs
“What about everything else? Where are the instructions? There’s not even cream in here!?” I yelled, laughing.
“I know the other stuff in my head.” she said casually.
In our Gospel today, Jesus is having a conversation with the Jews where each party seems to be talking past each other. The Jews are asking specific questions to follow-up on Jesus’ claims about freedom and Jesus seems to be responding like my grandmother, with remarks that seemingly don’t actually answer the question. Ugh!
But as I read it again, I couldn’t help but make other comparisons between my grandmother and Jesus. When she cooks, she looks at the bigger picture. She looks at the signs the food is giving her (smell, taste, looks) instead of the specific measurements. She’s not stuck on the rules that others follow. She’s more focused on the outcome.
Similarly, Jesus isn’t worried about the Jews following the rules, he’s looking at the bigger picture – looking to see how they love.
Sometimes, when we only follow the rules, we miss the point. It’s the difference between flour and eggs or a creampuff. A checklist of rules or a life of true freedom and love.
How do you find yourself stuck in the routine of “following a recipe” to get to God? How can you let go of the directions in order to see what God’s true invitation is for you in your life?
Teresa Nygard