Smokin' Potatoes

I know most of you have heard the phrase "Don't cry over spilled milk", but have you ever heard that you shouldn't cry over smokin’ potatoes either!? Well, neither have I until last summer when I found myself crying over smokin' potatoes.

It was a hot day in August and we were cooking baked potatoes for our friends. As people started to arrive the potatoes were still cooking, and somehow the entire oven started to smoke. Moments later, the whole house was in a smoky fog and it got so bad it made our eyes burn.

I happened to be the only one in the kitchen as one of the older ladies came rushing in. She frantically started asking me questions like, "How long has the potatoes been in the oven?!” and "What should we do to stop it from smoking?!” and "What’s causing the oven to smoke?!” and "Why hasn't anything been done about the smoke yet??!”…

Immediately, I went into defense mode. I felt as though I was being blamed for the uncontrollable smoke that was taking over the house. Within moments, I started to shut down and take everything she said personally. Thoughts were rushing through my head like, "Why am I getting into trouble" and "I wasn't even the one who put the potatoes in the oven" and "Why is she talking to me this way... who does she think she is?” and “She has no right to come at me this way, this isn't even her home!”

Obviously, I got personally offended and didn’t handle the situation very well. My pride was hurt and I was very embarrassed. From that point on, all I could think about that evening was those stinkin' smokin' potatoes!!

There were several things the Lord taught me through this situation:

1. The importance in working everything out~

In my heart, I knew this needed to be worked out. Something as small as smokin' potatoes can eventually turn into something much bigger if I didn’t get my heart right. God commands us that when we have issues with our brothers and sisters in Christ we should always work it out. Ephesians 4:26 says, “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do NOT let the sun go down on your anger.” When we leave things undone (unspoken disagreements and judgments) between each other it can cause “divisions”. In 1 Corinthians 1:10 it talks about not letting divisions be in the Church, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.”

2. Showing respect comes from the heart~

Technically, on the “outside” I didn’t say anything disrespectful to her… But on the inside I was fuming like the smoke seeping out of the oven. In our journey with the Lord, situations will arise where things can stir up our pride and we are given the opportunities to either get caught up on our personal offenses or really respond in love and seek what the truth is. As young people, there should be a high level of respect for the elders in the Lord and we should always consider what they have to say with a humble heart. 1 Peter 5:5, “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

3. Living with others in a humble and understanding way~

Not only does it take humility and maturity to respect and listen to those who are older and wiser than you, but also it takes more humility to accept it when it comes in a way that’s less than how we would want it presented. In Romans 12:16, it talks about living in harmony with others and not to think more of yourself over others, “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.” God is with the humble, not the proud. Just because YOU wouldn’t say something or approach a matter the same way as someone else would doesn’t make them wrong or invalidate the truth.

Thankfully, the Lord gave me strength to be honest. The most amazing thing that happened when I humbly came to my friend and shared with her my feelings, was that my eyes were opened to the TRUTH. The truth was that she didn’t mean to come across as being “frantic” or even “abrupt”, but she really loves me and was only trying to help. She even apologized for coming across that way and we worked everything out in love and in humility!

There is ALWAYS something to learn in EVERY situation. The truth will set us free but first it may offend us. The important thing, in growing in the strength of the Lord, is accepting the truth no matter how it is presented to us.

What I learned that day with those smokin' potatoes is to humbly accept any concerns or instruction from those who are older and wiser than me in the Lord.