Square Watermelons

I am fascinated by things that make my life easier in the kitchen.  We all have our favorite gadgets and utensils.  I could spend hours walking through gourmet supermarkets and cooking stores.  Some of the things that really get my attention are those fancy waffle irons that rotate, blenders that are crazy sharp, pannini grills.  Every trip to the mall has to have a stop in Williams and Sonoma - it's even better when they are cooking food and passing out samples!  But the problem with getting all these kitchen doo-daa's is that there's never anywhere to store them!  You know what I mean.  There is only so much counter space in any given kitchen.

Years ago when Wayne and I were in Japan, I was expecting things to be pricey.  I knew that our cost of living would be ridiculous, but I don't think I was expecting to see it so great as in our grocery bill.  There were times when we paid $7 for a single apple.  Even the pots and pans were priced so high that I was very limited in what I could buy.  I couldn't afford a decent pot.  I paid $30 for the thin, small aluminum pot that I had and made the very best of it.  That's just as well, because the kitchen was so tiny that I could barely turn around.  I wouldn't have been able to store much else.  Yes, storage was a major issue.

During the time that we were there, we saw all kinds of things that were created not only for their convenience in usage but also for their convenience in storage.  The Japanese are so clever and never miss an opportunity to make things efficient.  But the one thing that gave us the biggest kick was the square watermelon.  Almost everyone loved watermelons, because their watermelons are super sweet and seedless.  The only problem? Storage.  Some very ingenious soul decided to grow them in such containers that would make them perfect for a fridge shelf.  I'm not joking.  When they first came out, the price was somewhere near $100 (It's now closer to $20).  You should probably look these up yourself.  They are actually quite cute.  Who would have thought that you could take something so ordinary, so organic, and make it fit life so much better?  But it did cost.

Some people think that they don't really have time for God.  They feel like His presence in their lives is inconvenient, that He doesn't really fit.  I have even known Christians who were too busy with their days to make room on the shelves of their hearts for Christ, and while I would question their sincerity, only God can judge their hearts.  What they don't realize, though, is that Jesus Christ is not an inconvenience.  We don't have to try to shove Him in the middle of what we do and make Him fit.  No, He rearranges our lives in a more beautiful and functional way.  He seems to be able to take the messes of what we have done and streamline us with great efficiency.  In fact, the Word of God is key in this. Hebrews 4:12 says that God's Word is alive and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword.  When we allow God's presence to be real to us and we begin to feast on the Bible, the powerful words of God, His Word brings life and motion to our chaos and begins to weed out the things that are unnecessary and cluttering.  The Word reshapes our thoughts, intentions and outcomes and make the moments of our lives fit together more beautifully.  The result is spiritual efficiency.

What a wonderful thing!  It is amazing to be all at once sweet, colorful and efficient, lacking in disorder and chaos.  God's way are just higher than ours!  On my own, I can barely fit in.  On my own, I am bitter and boring.  But when I involve God in my life on a regular basis everything just gets better.  Even my schedule seems freer when I make time to be with the Lord.  People just don't realize that His involvement in us makes us so much better.  They think that the cost of His presence will be too great a sacrifice.  What is the sacrifice in receiving a better life freely?

I wouldn't dare liken the power of Christ in my life to a square watermelon; rather, I liken my own self to this strangely created fruit.  That the Father can take me - something so ordinary, so organic - and make me fit into His plan with such efficiency is sweet.  I think that being crafted to God's purpose is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me!