Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Which Pan Are You?


2 Peter 1:5-9
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

My husband, Danny, being the foremost cook in our household, has been gravitating toward cast iron pans in lieu of Teflon and stainless steel ones.  Mind you, this has not been a knee-jerk transformation; he has given the choice of pans much thought, and the changes to our kitchen hardware have gradually evolved over the last two years.

As the chief "bottle washer" in the "Orlando Cafe," the name we fondly give our kitchen, any pan that doesn't give me fits, i.e., overnight soaking or a strenuous scouring with Brillo to restore it to a healthy state of cleanliness and shine, is all right by me.  Our one remaining Teflon pan, the one I always default to when frying bacon, is, by far, the easiest one to clean.  But if you're thinking stainless steel is the next contestant in the ease department, think again!  Those rascals cling to residual oils and food particles as if they were hard-earned trophies from the culinary contests they have just been subjected to.  One time, I recall, a stainless pan is rendered so indelibly scarred by its encounter with cooking oil, two days of soaking and scrubbing fail to restore it.  Consequently, this most unfortunate of pans meets its demise in the yawning jaws of the trash bin.

Gun-shy me!  I think, when Danny brings the first cast iron pan into our house, the cleaning nightmare will continue.  Boy, do I have egg on my face!  (Thank goodness, I clean up pretty well.)  It's utter simplicity!  Steaming hot water, a minimal effort with a Scotch-Brite scouring pad, rinse, towel-dry, and season with cooking oil:  I find my bliss!

~

In the Scripture cited above, Peter is urging and encouraging the followers of The Way to develop and maintain the qualities that will produce good fruit for Christ's kingdom.  If we practice adding these things to our lives on a daily basis, we are like the Teflon or cast iron pans:  Easy to be set to rights should we go astray, because we are aware we have been cleansed of our past sins and know Jesus will be faithful to forgive us anew.  But those who choose not to nurture these qualities are like the stainless steel pans:  Clinging to the stained remnants of sin which mar and disfigure.  Nearsighted and blind, not seeing that Christ's forgiveness, once and for all, has washed and scrubbed them clean.  Hanging on to the sullied past instead of trusting in the bright, sparkling future into which Jesus lovingly invites us.

~

So I ask you, my friends, which pan are you?

Prayer:  Father, work with us through Your Holy Spirit to cultivate and practice the impeccable virtues which St. Peter espouses to help us be the heralds of Your kingdom in this world.  May we never forget that Your beloved Son, Christ Jesus, has forgiven our sins, once and forever, through His sacrifice on the cross.  Let us be farsighted and focused on the eternal life promised to us because we are Your children, reconciled to You through Jesus.  It is in His precious name, we pray.  Amen.


22 comments:

  1. All of them! NOT. I wonder sometimes if what I am is determined by the circumstances and what is needed. I do think it comes down to being used by Him and being willing to be whatever is needed to "make" that happen.

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    1. Yes, Bill, I think it does come down to being ready and willing to be used by God in whatever way He sees fit. May we ever be prepared to accept that invitation!
      Love and blessings!

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  2. Well I love iron skittle for frying most meats, and potatoes but I too go back to my teflon for frying bacon. Even though I like stainless steal...they are harder to clean. all of them at one time or another has been my choice. Good post Martha..

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    1. Yep, Betty, I'm with you in the teflon department when it comes to bacon; eggs, too! Cast iron is amazing for frying, isn't it? So versatile! Hope we can be as versatile for the Lord!
      Love and blessings!

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  3. we bought coated cast iron from an online store and we love them, my husband cannot use cast iron as he has too much iron in his system but we can use coated ones. The country door magazine has them rather cheap when they came I was not sure how to use them. They heat up on med high then i turn them down and they cook very well. don't cook them on high though, it will burn. check them out. we like them now that we know how to use them.

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    1. Wow! I've never heard of coated cast iron. I'll definitely have Danny look these up on line. Maybe the next time we need a new pot or pan, we'll try it out. Thanks so much for stopping by!
      Love and blessings!

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  4. Great imagery, Martha! I know what kind of pan I long to be, however, I do tend to cling to things: tangible and non-tangible. God hasn't given up on me, thankfully; He is continuing to perfect His work in me.

    Love and blessings!

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    1. Thank you for the complement, Kim!
      Yes, it's so easy to hang onto things, isn't it? Even when we know all we need to seek and hold onto is God; like He's working in you, he's working on me, too, every single day.
      Love and blessings!

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  5. This is so good on so many level. The Orlando cafe - that made me smile. Interesting my hubby and I just talked this weekend about updating our pots and were thinking stainless steel. I will have to rethink my options now. On the spiritual level, we do cling to our old ways, not sure of making the change. Will ponder that along with my new pots! Thanks Martha

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    1. So glad to know this post met you where you are at this point in your life, Jean - contemplating the pan replacement. :) How great is our God?
      And yes, we do tend to cling to the old ways only because they are familiar and comfortable. But God is always beckoning us to come farther up and further in. He wants us to shine our brightest for Him, and we need to let Him scrub us clean.
      Love and blessings!

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  6. Hi Martha! My husband is chief cook around these parts too. We haven't discussed cast iron as of yet, but who knows? It might come any day!
    I love spiritual lessons from practical life, and this is a wonderful one.

    I hope I don't hold on to the old things that keep me from evolving and changing, but I know I do at times. I guess I do a bit of holding on, with letting go mixed in. Kind of like a dance where I don't ever get anywhere fast, but rather slow and steady.
    Great thoughts here!
    Ceil

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    1. Ceil, I noticed when I read your latest blog today that your sub-title is very much like my own - we see the divine in the everyday. There is absolutely nothing so mundane that God can't teach us a lesson if we are willing to open our eyes and truly see.
      Yep! I'm a clinger, too, especially when change is forced upon me suddenly. I find I always need to beat a retreat at those times to seek God and His help.
      Oh, and isn't that great that your husband is the chief cook, too! :) My suggestion for him with the cast iron is to just get one at first and see how he likes it. Cooking is personal, and some folks might prefer another type of pot or pan.
      Love and blessings!

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  7. I don't know that I have a favorite pan, because I tend to roast and grill a great deal. I have a set of Calphon my mom gave me years ago, which to my surprise, they are still in great condition. I do so enjoy how you weave a life lesson into your posts. I never leave here without pondering the bigger picture.

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    1. Brenda, what a kind compliment: "I never leave here without pondering the bigger picture." That is my hope and my prayer when I do post these reflections. So gratified to know it's working for you!
      Glad to know your pans are holding up. I think my mom still has some Revere pans from when she got married in the '50s. Talk about wow!
      Love and blessings!

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  8. You've given me something to think about Martha. Always a blessing in my day!

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    1. I'm so gratified to know, Deb, that I've blessed your day, because your blog always blesses mine. I'm so glad I've hooked up to your inspiration as it is really moving me into a closer relationship with the Lord.
      Love and blessings!

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    2. I'm so gratified to know, Deb, that I've blessed your day, because your blog always blesses mine. I'm so glad I've hooked up to your inspiration as it is really moving me into a closer relationship with the Lord.
      Love and blessings!

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  9. Considering that my hubby and I love all things *western* - I'm gonna say that I'm an old-fashioned cast iron pan. Well-seasoned, a little bit heavy (!!), but in the end, dependable.

    May God be the Cleaner of my soul, so that all remnants of sin are scrubbed and rinsed and gone!

    GOD BLESS!

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    1. Yee Haw! Go, cast iron! Yes, they are heavy, Sharon, but they are reliable, sturdy and dependable, just like Southerners and Westerners. :)
      Yes, may God scrub us spotless and clean always!
      Love and blessings!

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    2. Yee Haw! Go, cast iron! Yes, they are heavy, Sharon, but they are reliable, sturdy and dependable, just like Southerners and Westerners. :)
      Yes, may God scrub us spotless and clean always!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  10. Thanks for this wonderful comparison, Martha. I guess from now on, I will remember what you said everytime I look at a pan. I do hope I can be like the teflon one and always be cleansed by faith in Jesus Christ. God bless you! ;)

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    1. Joyce, I'm so glad to see you here, my friend! I find it is always in the simplest of the everyday that God shines brightest. May we all be the Teflon when God is seeking to cleanse and renew us for His purpose!
      Love and blessings~

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