There is nothing like the smell of homemade bread. Opening the oven door and pulling out the fresh baked bread is akin to being enveloped with a big, cozy hug. It speaks of slower days, simpler times, and meaningful conversations. As our bodies receive nourishment, so do our souls.
There have been a few times in my life where I have made bread from scratch. There is nothing more satisfying as when you carefully measure the ingredients, knead the dough, patiently wait for the yeast to do its work, and then watch as it beautifully turns into the perfect mixture of taste, texture, warmth and nourishment.
I have learned the hard way to be cautious as to the ingredients I mix together when baking bread. One of the most important ingredients is the yeast. The magic is to watch how just a bit of yeast yields such tasty results. It’s just a small amount, yet it dramatically changes all the other ingredients.
Even the Bible talks about the power of yeast. Galatians 5:7-9 says, “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ‘A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.’”
In this life journey it really is the little things that can keep us on track or can derail us. It’s what we allow to enter our life, what “ingredients” we allow to infiltrate our hearts and minds. Little things will influence our entire lives.
The right kind of yeast yields tasty bread. Bad yeast will destroy the entire loaf. It begs us to reflect, “what small things are we allowing to influence our minds and hearts?”
I encourage you to take some time and make bread from scratch. Pull out your grandmother’s recipe or find one online. As you move through each step of crafting a loaf of bread, let the Lord reveal to your heart what little things you have allowed in your life. Some of those little things bring goodness. Some don’t. Knead into your life those good things and remove those that bring harm.
It’s the little things. Enjoy the process of fresh baked bread. Relish in the simplicity of yesteryears. And feverishly determine to only let the good things be mixed into your heart and mind.
May we continue to live…
Rooted in Him,
