Dreadful Confession – Hilarious Conviction

 

OK, Gentle Readers… I have a confession to make. I like cooking shows. What’s worse, I love cooking competition shows. Once in a while I enjoy watching a group of people work under greater pressure than I feel from time to time. If you don’t know the kind of show I mean… like “Chopped“, or “Hell’s Kitchen“, or “Iron Chef“… well, perhaps that’s a good thing. But now you know my own dark secret, and the air is clear between us.

SO…. I was perusing Food Network a bit ago, and stumbled upon an episode of “Worst Cooks in America” (which I’d never bothered to screen), and the post was titled “It Just Keeps Getting Worse”. And… *blush*… I was intrigued. So… *voice drops to a shamed whisper*… I watched it.

Um… um… Believe it or not, I cannot recommend more strongly that you invest 43 minutes of your life, perhaps with your family gathered around you… to watch this. I believe it will bless your life… I KNOW God blessed mine with it… as I have come through the following stages (in order), as I’ve continued to watch further episodes on YouTube:

1. I laughed so much and so often in the first episode it brought tears…
2. I realized, afterwards, that I felt very convicted and guilty because it seemed I was feeling “ridicule” for the contestants (who are in it for $25K, so, that mitigates a lot of guilt). But… but… ridicule isn’t a big tendency of my heart, so I prayed on this. (Cf Luke 18:10-14)
3. In prayer, just relaxing with the experience, I embraced again my more habitual “heart tone” of “there but for the grace of God”… and asked the Lord where the grace was for me here…
4. Laughing, He asked, what if I thought of this episode in terms of “Little Monk, the Theologian”? My own “competence” in things Kingdom, on my own, without Him?
5. Now THAT, I found resoundingly laughable! And I richly laughed at the thought. Without Him, I’m a stumbling infant without a clue. I AM a contestant on this show! Yes!
6. And with THAT I had His utter encouragement to be free of any further conviction and go on with the program and see where it led.

Having done so, I have been incredibly blessed to watch what happens in the lives of these people. They have garnered my respect, my admiration, and my love.

(With me laughing all the while!! Now with them, rather than at them)

Ever have one of those days, or moments, when you struggle with self-condemnation? I do. Ever have one of those days or moments when you take yourself too seriously? I do. Ever have one of those days or moments, or aspects of your life, where you just want to throw up your hands convinced that you will never improve at this? I do.

Well, if yer at all like me… invest these 43 minutes, and perhaps be led to a bit more, and be encouraged and blessed by it!

Grace to us all, Gentle Readers! Such a work in progress, eh?

The Little Monk