Women’s Devotion: A Recipe For Life
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
A while back I opened a small box that had been moved from my parents’ home to mine when they passed away. Inside I found my grandma’s and my mother’s Bibles. It was like rediscovering a treasure.
My grandmother had documented the year she was baptized, family tree information, and notes she had written about a verse she liked, a short devotion she used for a Bible study group, or a prayer that was meaningful to her. These were secured between the pages to be revisited later. As I was examining the contents, a recipe card fell out : “A Recipe for Life” based on 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. It probably was from a Bible study group or a friend who had shared it. Just knowing my grandma, it was a keepsake she wanted to protect so it was placed in her Bible.
Then going through my mother’s Bible, I found similar things, only she had begun to underline special verses, and wrote notes in the margins. There were a couple of scraps of paper where she had written a question. Maybe the answer was nearby in the words of the Bible. Towards the end, stuck between the pages, was a recipe card just like I had found in Grandma’s Bible. Did they get it from the same study group? Why did they both keep it in their Bibles? It got me thinking? Here are the words.
A Recipe for Life
3 cups of Kindness
2 cups of Patience and Gentleness
1 cup of Humility and Selflessness
1 cup of Truth
1 cup of Endurance and Perseverance
Mix all together and bake in the oven of Forgiveness.
Pray.
Top with FAITH, HOPE.
Cool on the table with A THANKFUL HEART
Serve Generously with LOVE!
Now, I could have just taken the loose papers out and thrown them away, but maybe they wanted them to be discovered. They brought memories to me of who these faith filled women were. They were my mentors. Even though they are gone, they continue to share the love of God with those who open the pages of their Bibles.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the wisdom, hope, guidance, love and forgiveness that are found in your Word. Our Bibles certainly are a Treasure Chest. Remind us to open the cover, read, and absorb the lessons of life you teach within. Amen.
Written by Judy Olson
This month’s devotion was written by Judy Olson, a member of the Women’s Ministry Team. Judy enjoys participating in various Bible studies, Martha Circle, and SOLOS events. She serves at the Welcome Center, volunteers with the Backpack Program and Wednesdays @ the Well. Judy’s daughter, Lisa, lives with her family in Houston, Texas. Her son, Chris, and family are in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Her three grandchildren are the “sunshine in her life”. Getting to spend time with all of them is treasured. For fun and relaxation, she enjoys watching sporting events, working in her flower garden, reading/book club, playing pitch, bridge, and Mahjong; and walking in nature. Time with family and friends brings her much happiness.