I’m linking this up over at 152 Insights to My Soul.
From Kristin: #ThreeWordWednesday is simple, really. I know we’re all busy with life and kids and jobs and parents and friends and church and whatever else it is that occupies our time. Some weeks I’m not sure what my post will be about, but knowing people will show up here on Wednesdays is good motivation to write something. #ThreeWordWednesday is a chance to pause and hear God. Sum up what you’re hearing in three words. Those three words are enough. But stories are good too.
image via foodnetwork.comCooks vs. Cons
Confession time: I love Food Network. Okay, so it’s not that great of a confession and if you’ve been around you’ve probably picked up on my love of food so it’s not a surprise either. One of my favorite ways to get in some “me time” is to make a cheap-o iced coffee and watch some chefs create some awesome looking dishes. My favorite shows are Cutthroat Kitchen, Chopped, The Pioneer Woman, Baking Championships, and The Next Food Network Star. Recently I stumbled upon Cooks vs. Cons and thought it was a fun idea so I decided to check it out.
If you haven’t seen it the premise is pretty simple. Four cooks are in the competition: two professional chefs and two (incredibly talented) amateurs. During the two rounds the judges are trying to decide who is a cook and who is a con. They observe how they work with the “secret” ingredients, knife skills, cooking skills, flavor combos, etc. The judges are constantly switching up who they think is for real and who isn’t. It’s a fun concept and I found myself trying to figure it out as well and I was totally wrong!
As I was thinking about this show God put this message on my heart. How many of us are cons in our walk with Him? We know how to act and what to say but in our hearts we are no where near the right place. We try to pass as Christians but if somebody rubs us the wrong way or believes differently we pull out a card of judgement or condemnation and our thoughts turn nasty.
In the show the judges are frequently fooled. Sometimes they are fooled by those that are amateurs. They put on such a good front that the judges think they are the real deal. God can’t be fooled. He sees right through to our hearts and knows our inner most thoughts. We may say we love everyone but is that true? We may say we would help the Samaritan on the side of the road but when was the last time we handed a few dollars to the person on the corner? We may say that we care about His lost and hurting sheep but are we out there feeding, clothing, and visiting them?
Then there is the flip side. When the judges are sure the person is a con because of the way they cooked a protein or how they choose to use a certain ingredient. It screams untrained to them when in fact the person is a trained and employed chef. Are we making mistakes and living in a way that makes people assume we aren’t Christian? Are we speaking without love and following the world instead of Him? Are we being a good representation of Jesus?
It’s so easy to get stuck in our little bubble and forget about the world that doesn’t live as comfortably as so many of us. I don’t want to just pass as a child of God on the outside, I want it to be my true, ingrained, authentic identity.
How about you? How are you going to live?
