Humility

April 3, 2012

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before the fall.”

If Heaven had a Time Out, I would surely be placed in it right now. Thank God, we serve a forgiving and loving God whose grace abounds each day. I learned a tough lesson today when I invited a cherished friend over with her daughter for brunch.  All I had wanted to do was to show her my love, gratitude, and appreciation for her. I do not know why I got carried with everything.  You see, I am a Food Network star in my own mind. I have watched many shows, practiced many recipes, and I am a decent cook. My mother is from Alabama and she has passed down some of that home cooking trait to me.  Plus, the baby had been doing well and following her routine better.  This all made me feel overconfident that I could pull this brunch off, but soon this became a recipe for disaster!

I thought that I was well prepared.  I had purchased the items for the quiche the prior day.  This was a new recipe so it called for egg substitute, turkey bacon, fresh mushrooms, and fresh baby spinach. Did I mention the recipe required a homemade crust be made with Fiber One cereal? Yes, I know, but this was my attempt at making something usually laden with good, gooey comfort items into a more healthy experience. I had orange juice chilling in the refrigerator and hot tea at the ready.  I had even painstakingly selected just the right bread to toast my home-made baguettes.  In my preparation, I had cleaned up the home and had planned to clean up the baby at the last minute so that she would be shining, fresh, and crisply styled.  Again, in my mind, I had pictured the baby and I were the seventh and eight members of the Brady Bunch or at best close cousins to Cliff and Clair Huxtable  of the Cosby Show. The house would be sparkling, baby would be cooperative.  All would be well, wouldn’t it? Instead, brunch seemed like it came out of an episode of I Love Lucy.

All was calm at first.  The baby, like clockwork, went down for her 9:30 a.m. nap so I showered and got myself together.  By 10:00 a.m. I started cooking the Turkey bacon.  It was all golden and almost ready.  That’s when I realized I had made a rooky mistake and not gathered all my ingredients together before starting the recipe.  Because if I had, I would of realized that I had not purchased baby spinach, but instead had grabbed a bag of romaine lettuce!.  So now, the bacon must come off the stove or burn.  I was missing one of the main ingredients.  I should have just stopped and called it quits.  I should have confessed to my friend and met her at a diner.  Oh, but now, my pride kept me going.  I was determined to have my brunch at home.  So I saved the bacon and set it aside.  I scoured the pantry and found canned asparagus.  Bingo!  I planned on replacing the spinach with it.  However, upon opening the can, the asparagus seemed soggy and limp.  No matter, I decided to use it anyway.  I was back on track.  As I began to grind my cereal in blender to prepare the crust that must be prebaked, you guessed it, the baby started to scream.  That definitely was not part of the plan.  So I decide to just form the pie crust before getting her out of the crib.  I went to retrieve a pie plate.  There was none, I had forgotten them across town at my mother’s house.  I had to stop and regroup because by now, beads of sweat were trickling down the side of my face and my hair was beginning to poof up because of the heat. I had to adjust my plan.

There are many times in my life that I feel I am being viewed by the public via some hidden camera.  Growing up, there was a show called Candid Camera.   Now, there is a show called Punk’d.  I could easily see this brunch as a reality show gone wrong. I could imagine directors who whispered into a microphone saying “Get a close up of Allison’s face. Now, cut to the crib. Upon which one would see an irate baby kicking and screaming.  All I needed was for someone to jump out of a closet or some hidden nook to yell, “Surprise! You are on Candid Camera!”    No such luck. Needless to say, it took a while to calm the baby down.  Then, I rushed back into the kitchen. It was 10:45 a.m. and my friend called to tell me she will be there by noon.  Okay, I wiped my brow, and convinced myself, no problem.  I entered the kitchen on a mission. In my zest to get started, as I grabbed the cookbook, I knocked over most of the bacon.  I scrambled to recollect all that did not hit the floor.  I was re-energized when I remembered seeing Rachel Ray make mini meatloaves, or something like it, in a cupcake pan.  Hey, if it’s good enough for Rachel…So I take the crust mixture and I press them into individual cupcake holders.  It was working pretty well until the crust sides kept coming down.  No matter, this brunch was going to take place.  So I pour the quiche mixture into the cupcake pan, popped it into the oven, and hoped for the best.  Now, it’s 11:45 a.m.  I look around me and see dirty dishes in the sink, spills on the floor, and a baby that is still not cleaned up yet. I had to straighten up and fast.

I go into Mommy ninja mode.  Because remember, my pride was still making me think that I could still have this brunch. In a mad frenzy, I washed the dishes, but by noon my friend and her daughter had arrived.  The floor was not mopped nor was the baby spruced up, and I had over cooked the baguettes that were drizzled with olive oil and basil.  We still had the brunch, but it was not what I had imagined.  I thought the original quiche would come out looking beautiful with exactly three select pieces of baby spinach on top for garnish gently baked into it.  Instead, we had mini-quiche, which tasted good, but there was no oomph to the presentation.  We had a side garden salad in which I forgot the tomatoes, and we chomped the overcooked bread.  The baby lunched in her pajamas with her hair undone. But this is where God’s grace became evident to me.  My friend did not say a word.  She was kind and even thanked me for having her over. She embodied Ephesians 4:2 “With all humility and gentleness, with patience bearing one another in love.”  Thank God, I was tired and a wreck. By 1:45 p.m., it was all over.

And even though Heaven does not have a Time Out, I reflect on my thoughts and behavior just the same.  James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.”  I should have never assumed that I could do anything separate from God.  Where did God get the glory from my behavior and thoughts of grandeur?  I did not give God the opportunity to exalt me because I was so busy exalting myself. I had to reflect and repent of my sins.  For John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Next time, I will have the sense to swallow my pride.