I woke up grumpy today. My little “alarm clock” woke up hungry at 630, and I was not ready to wake up. He had already been up a couple of times in the night, and Mama was tired. I’ve never been a morning person, but I’ve been trying to get up earlier, before the kids are up, and do my devotions and have some quiet time before the day starts. I KNOW I feel better and am more productive in general when I do this, but it doesn’t make getting up in the dark any easier.

So this morning, I got up, nursed the baby, put him back to bed and laid back down. It was just 645; breakfast is at 730 around here. I knew I could sleep another 45 minutes. It wouldn’t make my morning very pleasant though. That route would be mean rushing for breakfast, scrambling to get everyone dressed, chores done, teeth brushed, before we headed out to get the biggest three to school. So, reluctantly, I drug myself out of my warm bed in the pre-dawn light. Ugh.

I came downstairs shivering. This big old house, with its high ceilings and radiator heating is beautiful, but chilly in the mornings. I wrapped up in my Snuggie and settled in on the couch with my devotional. Today’s verses weren’t really doing anything for me. I was still sleepy and grouchy about it. I’m not in the mood this morning Lord, I thought. I’ll praise you anyway, but I’m really not feeling it.

So as I sat there, grouchily praising the Lord (which I’m sure He was laughing at), I heard little feet on the stairs. I checked the clock—not even 7 am yet. Gotta be Noah-bear. “Mommy?” says that sleepy little man. “Yeah buddy, I’m here,” I answered, and here he came, piling up into my lap, stuffed monkey and all.

“Mommy, is it too early?”

“Yeah buddy, it is. Why don’t you go back to bed? It’s not time to get up yet.”

“Ok,” he said with a cheek-splitting yawn. And back to bed he went, just like that.

Suddenly my heart was more tender. The grouchies were disappearing. Is that how God sees me? I wondered. Is it time yet God? I ask daily. There are prayers being prayed and answers we’ve been seeking for what seems like eternity. Not yet, God says. Why don’t you rest a little longer first? Unfortunately, I’m not as trusting as Noah. I don’t seem to be able to say, Ok Lord, and cheerfully “go back to bed.” Maybe my three-year-old could give me lessons.

This is just one of many lessons God has brought to my attention from my kids. Children are a blessing from the Lord–in more ways than one! I love seeing the similarities (and differences!) between human parents and our heavenly Father. He definately uses our current situations to show us the best lessons!

“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 42:10).

Ugh, the situation just frustrated me so much. I knew what needed to be done. I could so clearly see how this whole mess could be fixed, if God would just listen and do things my way. If He would just grant my wishes, like Aladdin’s genie, everything would be fine. Why wouldn’t He just LISTEN to me??!

Be still, and know that I am God came the soft, whispered answer. Oh, I  know that you’re in charge Lord. But if you’ll just listen . . . Be still, came the voice again. I am in control. But LORD, I wanted to whine. I’ve been dealing with this mess for so long. And if you would just . . .

I am in control, said my Father. And you are not.

There it was. The truth I was trying so hard to ignore. I am not in control. It’s hard, especially for us Marthas. We like to be in charge. We’re pretty good at it too. We are the fixers, the solvers of problems. Others often ask for our help, and it’s our delight to serve them and our Father in that way, to minister to our family and friends in need. It’s our gift of hospitality at its finest.

But when we’re faced with our own problems, who do we turn to? We’re so used to being the little worker bee. (The Queen Bee, in my case!) Don’t you need my help Lord? we pray silently. I could fix this so easily. Just a nip here, a tuck there, and scoot this little problem out of the way.

But Mary knew the better way, remember? Mary sat at His feet, and found comfort and instruction. I’m not so good at the sitting. Nor am I very good at letting go of my problems and letting the Lord solve things His way. But the Psalm gives us very explicit instruction on this topic. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

Being still means NOT fixing things. Being still means NOT solving that problem. Being still means letting go. It means trusting that the Lord might just see things a little differently from His vantage point. And maybe, just maybe, His plans are much better than any solution we could think up.

In my experience, God is much more inventive than I am anyway. His solutions to my problems rarely come in the form that I expect. No, His plans are much grander than mine. He sees solutions that I could never dream. And for that, I am thankful. Thankful that He knows me better than I know myself. He is in control, and I am not.

So in this season of hustle and bustle, of giving to others, of doing the Lord’s work, of ministry and missions, of all those things we Marthas thrive on, let’s not forget who is in control. It’s not us. It never was. And He can handle things just fine on His own, without our input. Why don’t you let Him solve those problems for you today? You might just be surprised at what miracle He sends your way.

In honor of National Cookie Day, I thought I’d share my top five cookie baking tips to get everyone ready for the holiday season!

1. Use the right tools.

My absolute must-have item when baking cookies is my Silpat sheets. These silicone baking sheets make getting the perfect, lightly browned cookies a breeze. You don’t have to worry any more about the right kind of cookie sheet–a Silpat will make ANY pan the perfect surface for baking cookies. I also love my 2-in cookie scoop, for making perfectly round drop cookies. I do use a Kitchenaid stand mixer, and while I love it, my cookies would turn out just as well with hand mixer!

2. Follow the recipe.

When you’re cooking dinner, making substitions (onions for shallots, thyme instead of rosemary) isn’t a big deal. But if you try to substite margarine for shortening in your cookies, the recipe isn’t going to turn out as planned. Cooking is an art; baking is a science! Until you have baked enough to know how substitutions are likely to affect the chemistry of your baking, DON’T.

3. Set a timer–a loud one!

I can’t tell you how many pans of cookies I’ve burned because I forgot to set my timer. I have 5 boys–life rarely goes as planned around here. If I put a pan of cookies in the oven, I can’t guarantee that something won’t happen in the next 12 minutes that will make me forget I was even baking. My timer is loud and annoying–the surefire way to jar my mind back to the kitchen in time to rescue my cookies!

4. Always double!

In my house, cookies are a daily treat, particularly oatmeal cookies. (Which I’ve convinced myself are a healthy snack. Don’t disturb my happiness.) I always double cookie recipes. Most doughs refrigerate or even freeze well. During the holiday season, I always have the dough for Ginger Molasses cookies and No-Roll Sugar Cookie dough in the fridge. Both of those are easy to throw on a pan and into the oven on short notice.

5. Let the kids help!

Baking offers some great opportunities for learning, especially in math. My older boys can double a recipe, while the younger ones count the cookies on each pan and tell me when we’ve made enough. And it’s FUN (not to mention licking the beaters, which is their favorite part).

 

Ginger Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups AP flour

 

Cream the wet ingredients first. Sift the dry ingridents into a seperate bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Chill dough for 1-2 hours. Scoop dough with a 2-in cookie scoop, dip balls of dough in granulated sugar, and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet (lined with Silpat). Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.