God & the frying pan

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (Galatians 1:10)

Many of us teachers and preachers can be our worst (or best) self-critics.

Our hearts and minds are often poured into each lesson, each message, each sermon, spending hours upon hours until it feels “just right.” We are often hyped-up, prayed-up, and ready to go with the best message possible, ready to dazzle those who would hear. Ready to please our God.

Afterwards, though, we may think our delivery “could have been better.” We can receive both positive, uplifting kudos, and cruel, negative criticism, that later can either become blessings in disguise in unexpected ways or fester into persistent, irritating thoughts of self-reproach.

So with all these thoughts in mind, I prayed two days after my last message delivery, speaking to God while washing the dishes, as I sometimes do. Peering out the back window above the kitchen sink and up to my wrists in Dawn dishwashing bubbles, I asked our Lord if He was pleased with “how it went.”

The sun was going down and began to cast an orange outline to the underside of the bluish-gray clouds. It was beautiful. I turned and reached for the last item to wash: the frying pan on the stove. I glanced out of the window again and saw the answer to my prayer.

It was an unmistakable profile of the face of Jesus in the cloud. I dropped the dish cloth in the sink, grabbed a towel and went out to the back porch just to confirm, just to stand silently to enjoy this amazing view. He was pleased and was telling me He is near.

A minute or so passed by and I went back inside, thanking Him for His kind message. Returning to my frying pan in the sink, I glanced at the cloud once again and where the face of Jesus was in that cloud, there was now the clear shape of a beautiful heart. A heart!

My own heart was full, my Spirit content. Tears welled up at the thought of His tender, overwhelming love. God is very near, among the frying pans, the dish soap, and embedded within our messages and lessons. He is always pleased when we share His true Word, and even more so when we pray to Him. Such a caring, loving God He is!

Rev. Bonnie Zickgraf is a retired pastor, registered nurse, electroplater, and podcaster. She continues to serve various preschool, youth, and adult ministries, including the Nurses’ Honor Guard for the State of Indiana. She loves to laugh, write, eat, and pray! Send comments to bonniezickgraf@gmail.com.