Saturday, November 21, 2009

Potatoes and Pandora

I had big plans for today. Cleaning. Laundry. Homework. And then I woke up sometime after 11. Which doesn't really happen to me that often. And it kind of threw me off. Since I was starting late, I figured I'd just focus on getting some research for this paper on health care reform I have to write for my Medical Sociology class. And then I remembered that my church is having a Thanksgiving dinner and service tomorrow night. Being a Baptist church, obviously the dinner's a potluck. So, I decided that since I've been going there for over a year now, I was in a position where I should probably make something for the potluck.

Thing is I don't really know how to cook a whole lot. I mean, I can cook up some chicken and vegetables for a wonderful dinner. I can throw stuff in a crock-pot and have a lovely meal waiting for me after class. I make a mean quesadilla (just ask Sadie) and eggs with salsa (ask Katie Jones about this one). I'm not a BAD cook, but I will most certainly be calling my mother multiple times a day in the days leading up to the first Thanksgiving meal I have to host - which hopefully will be a while from now. So, I called my mom this afternoon asking for the recipe for the only Thanksgiving food I think I could actually pull off - potato rolls. Best rolls ever!

I had everything I needed already in the apartment except for potatoes and yeast. (Yeah - I even had crisco - how random.) So I went upstairs to see if they could help me out. Because I'd kind of already decided I really didn't want to leave the apartment all day. Katie Jones was able to provide me with some yeast, but I was still potato-less. Which normally wouldn't be a problem. But when you're trying to make potato rolls it's kind of important to have the potatoes. So, I began texting friends to see if they had a potato or two that I could borrow. Mind you, these were all friends who live in the apartments, but they're not in my building. That's why I texted instead of actually walking across the courtyard. Told you - I had already made up my mind on the lazy day thing. Unfortunately, potatoes do not seem to be a staple food for many college students and I could not find one. Luckily, my dear friend Beth Babcock was on her way to the store and offered to buy potatoes for me. I have such great friends!

So, my day of big plans turned into a day of research and searching for potatoes (let's not lie, mostly looking for potatoes...) while listening to Christmas carols. Yes, I'm sure you're shaking your head saying something like, "It's not even Thanksgiving yet. Really, Christmas music?" But, in my defense, it's Pandora's fault. I was trying to get some Relient K to listen to and Pandora offered me the choice of a regular Relient K channel or a Relient K (Holiday) channel. Well, I was just so excited about the prospect of hearing some of Relient K's best holiday music that I couldn't resist. And now I've been listening to Christmas music. All day. Oops.

Except that really, I love Christmas music. Especially the kind that makes you think about Jesus. Because it makes you think about your Savior in a way that you really can relate to Him. We're going through Hebrews in Bible study this semester and the running theme is the supremacy of Christ in everything. But as important as that is to realize, I really like that the author reminds us Jesus was human too.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" - Hebrews 4:15

I love that my God has lived life on this earth. And not the life of a God. But the life of a servant. And I love that Christmas is a time to remember this. And even though it's not actually Christmas time yet I kept thinking about this as I made potato rolls tonight. Ok. I haven't actually made the rolls yet. The dough is rising in my fridge so I can cook the rolls tomorrow before dinner. Still.

I have to remind myself a lot that God is so much bigger than His acts. That I need to focus on loving Him for His character, not just what He can do for me. And taking time to just think about Jesus. It helps. I mean, He's better than a personified version of God. He is God. And yet, He's human. Maybe He made potato rolls for His church. Maybe He needed a lazy day and texted all His friends asking for potatoes. Probably not. For so many reasons. But still - it helps to think about it. Makes it a little bit easier to relate to this Holy God I serve. Especially when I spend my day looking for potatoes and listening to Christmas tunes.

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