My kids love helping in the kitchen.  Well, scratch that.  They really love helping in the kitchen when it’s something that THEY want to eat- usually desserts but sometimes dinner.  When they hear me start to prep, they run into the kitchen (especially my daughter) , frantically asking “Can I help? Can I help??” (I think they do this because they know that helping usually includes taste testing or licking the spoon!)

I have noticed a little trend in their helpfulness…I am in charge of the more ‘dangerous’ things- the knife, the stove or oven, the mixer. Occasionally, I will let my son handle these items because he’s older and a little more attentive than my daughter.  So, usually I will delegate the less risky tasks to her. She does a great job mixing with a whisk or spoon or dumping things from one pot to another, but that finishes up pretty quickly.  So, I try to find other things for her to do, but she doesn’t want to do them.  She wants to cut with the butcher knife and mix things on the stove.

“Umm, no…” I tell her, “Why don’t you start putting things back in the pantry and refridgerator.”

“No.”

“Can you start cleaning up?”

“Nope. I want to do what you’re doing.”

“Well, you can’t do this yet. You’re not ready.”

Many times I have asked God to show me how to help people around me who are struggling, and I am so guilty of having this same conversation with God.  I want to do something that I think is helpful and God very kindly tells me to manage my spoon and whisk faithfully first before moving on to something else. “But, God! Wouldn’t THIS be so much more helpful?” “Yes,” he says, “but you’re not ready for that yet.”

In the story of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan man gives the Jewish man a portion of his provisions, his time and his money. He placed him on his own donkey as he walked into the town.  He had to do some work. He allowed his comfort to be disturbed. He let a good portion of his day be derailed to help this man.

That’s the kind of helper that I want to be.

-Shiney