As has been established, I really love to bake. Today, in order to mix up banana bread, I used a wooden spoon. Now that I live with a roommate who has a Kitchenaid mixer, I hardly ever use wooden spoons. However, I really like it! There is something basic and elemental about a wooden spoon. A wooden spoon really helps get the job done - I love the feeling of whipping up the contents of a bowl of banana bread, a ton of bread dough, or a batch of brownies.
I guess it makes me feel connected to my pioneer ancestors. According to wikipedia, wooden spoons have been used in cooking at least since 250 BC (the entry also contains the helpful definition that a wooden spoon is "a spoon made from wood"). That's pretty awesome that a utensil has endured that long, and still holds a vital place in the modern kitchen.
While there may be no real reason to use a wooden spoon in today's world of modern conveniences, I feel like a wooden spoon is a good example of the kind of "ordinary" Latter-day Saint that makes the church work. We may look ordinary and feel run-of-the-mill, but when you really want to get a job done, there is nothing more sturdy and hardy. Latter-day Saints, when working with the Spirit of God, can accomplish miracles (in this analogy, we'll have to assume delicious banana bread is a miracle). I know that God has enough power (like a Kitchen-aid mixer) to do his own work, but he lets us participate.
Lately, I've been thinking about this: One of the many "fruits" of the gospel is the people it creates - kind, good, EXTRA-ordinary people. The gospel softens hearts and changes minds. Gospel truth lifts us and makes us better tools in the service of God. Wooden spoons can be used to stir hot things without transferring heat - a good example of the heat we may be called to pass through as members of the church. Yet the true saints endure. They may be counted ordinary, and undervalued by the world at large. Yet, somehow, through it all, the gospel bowl is brim-ful of wooden spoons - extraordinary people - true saints who lift and love others, and that is one of the things I love about this church. People who, incidentally, are also very generous with their baked goods.
Maybe someday, I'll blog about my other favorite kitchen utensil: a super spatula. Don't know if I'll relate it to the gospel.
I guess it makes me feel connected to my pioneer ancestors. According to wikipedia, wooden spoons have been used in cooking at least since 250 BC (the entry also contains the helpful definition that a wooden spoon is "a spoon made from wood"). That's pretty awesome that a utensil has endured that long, and still holds a vital place in the modern kitchen.
While there may be no real reason to use a wooden spoon in today's world of modern conveniences, I feel like a wooden spoon is a good example of the kind of "ordinary" Latter-day Saint that makes the church work. We may look ordinary and feel run-of-the-mill, but when you really want to get a job done, there is nothing more sturdy and hardy. Latter-day Saints, when working with the Spirit of God, can accomplish miracles (in this analogy, we'll have to assume delicious banana bread is a miracle). I know that God has enough power (like a Kitchen-aid mixer) to do his own work, but he lets us participate.
Lately, I've been thinking about this: One of the many "fruits" of the gospel is the people it creates - kind, good, EXTRA-ordinary people. The gospel softens hearts and changes minds. Gospel truth lifts us and makes us better tools in the service of God. Wooden spoons can be used to stir hot things without transferring heat - a good example of the heat we may be called to pass through as members of the church. Yet the true saints endure. They may be counted ordinary, and undervalued by the world at large. Yet, somehow, through it all, the gospel bowl is brim-ful of wooden spoons - extraordinary people - true saints who lift and love others, and that is one of the things I love about this church. People who, incidentally, are also very generous with their baked goods.
Maybe someday, I'll blog about my other favorite kitchen utensil: a super spatula. Don't know if I'll relate it to the gospel.
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