Saturday, December 06, 2014

Cooking 101 and Joseph the Dreamer

A lot has happened. By God’s loving grace and generosity I was able to buy things for my new condo. A refrigerator, washing machine, induction cooker, dining table, and some other things have been added to my humble place. I also had some mirrors placed in the bathroom and grills in the window. Now, I am more secured and less paranoid when I go to sleep at night and when I leave my pug alone during the day.

I also started cooking. Last Sunday I tried cooking adobo. I called up my sister and asked her how it’s done. I cooked as she instructed. Funny thing, I didn’t put some oil before I sautéed. I am really a moron when it comes to cooking but it’s not something that cannot be learned. So slowly, I will learn my way through it. This time, I cooked ginisang sitaw (sautéed stringbeans) and I put too much oil in it. I will do it again next time and will put in mind the amount of cooking oil that I will put in. I bought some pork giniling last time but haven’t cooked it yet so I would probably cook it next Sunday. My papa is a great cook and people just love the food he prepared. I pray that I would eventually have the same knack for cooking so I can host people in this lovely place God blessed me with and cook for them.

On a different note, I just want to share the lovely message in church today. The very engaging pastor who by the way is a lawyer gave a very telling message about Joseph’s life and how God used his circumstances, the high and low points in his life, for his greater glory. He mentioned that Joseph’s highs and lows were the following: he was a favored son of Jacob, but his brothers dumped him into the pit and sold him to Egyptian merchants as slave out of jealousy. In Egypt, the merchants sold him to the Chief Guard named Potiphar. Potiphar saw how good Joseph was so he promoted him as his house manager. Joseph gained the interest of Potiphar’s wife so she tried seducing him. But Joseph was so loyal to God he cannot sin against Potiphar who gave him authority over all things in his household except that over his wife. So Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of seducing her and he was sent to prison. While in prison, Joseph again showed good work thus he was promoted as jailer. While there he helped somebody who eventually got out of jail. He asked that person to remember him and help free him when he is out. But the man forgot about Joseph. After thirty long years in prison, the man whom Joseph helped remembered him as being able to interpret dreams. So when Pharaoh needed someone to interpret his dreams, the man whom Joseph helped in prison mentioned Joseph. Pharaoh sought Joseph’s interpretation of his dream and was impressed so he promoted Joseph as Prime Minister of Egypt, which by that time was the mightiest and wealthiest nation.

By Joseph’s life we can see how God works all things for good. The low points in Joseph’s life were used by God to prepare him for the great task and blessing ahead - to become the greatest leader of the most civilized nation during his time. All throughout, in good and bad times, Joseph remained faithful in the Lord. He was able to show through his life that God indeed delivers His promises. When God made Joseph dream about his sheet of grain standing among other sheet of grains bowing, God after two full years made that happen when Joseph’s brothers bowed down before him. As the pastor put it, “when God puts a vision in your heart, you can hold on to the fact that it will come to pass.”

As I go through one of the most painful event in my life, I want to rest in God’s promise that this too shall pass. Eventually, in God’s sweet and perfect time, He will make things fall in the right places. I just have to trust and hold on to His loving mercy. 

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