The Baker

Bakers often use a process called a starter, which involves preparing a mixture of flour and water and letting it rest overnight to ferment.

Today, my friend shared a picture of her starter that had overflowed during the night, creating a mess all over her kitchen counter. Before she could continue baking, she had to stop and clean it all up. The image she shared of an overflowing jar made me think.

If we know who our Baker is, then we know that when we overflow, when life gets messy and things spill out, we can only spill what’s already inside of us; and sometimes, let’s be honest, there are some messy ingredients in there.

But the Baker knows. He knows how to work with what’s inside us, even when the chemical reactions in our hearts feel all wrong. He isn’t surprised by the mess. He doesn’t panic when the dough rises too much or spills over the edge.

He just starts cleaning.

And somehow, He still bakes something beautiful.

So today, as my friend wipes down her counter and prepares to finish her cake, I can’t help but think of our faithful Baker, always fixing, always creating, always completing His perfect plan.

I’m sure my friend will end up with a great cake, mess and all, and I’m just as sure that our Baker will do the same with us.

He’s not discouraged by the overflow.

He sees the bigger picture.

He’s still baking.

And something good is surely rising.

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

—Philippians 1:6