Discovering a Talent

The other day I was at my friend, Becky's house and I asked her how she makes such amazing food.  She blushed and then proceeded to tell me her secret.  She LOVES food shows.  She watches Food Network, reads their magazine along with a few others.

You are probably wondering why I told you this, well here's the answer.  You see for years I never believed I had ANY talents.  I believed that God just skipped over me, when he was handing them out.  Others have tried to tell me, and I still think some of their answers are silly, but it took a while to sink into my stubborn head to realize, "Hey, yeah, I can do that."

To add to this story, I will tell you that I live in a box. No not literally, but creatively.  I do not create anything. I make or remake things, especially when it comes to food.  From the time I was a teenager I HAD to have a recipe. I couldn't come up with something on my own.  This has frustrated my mother in countless ways. (Do not ask her or my dad about my adventures making hamburgers. lol) To this day I'm still this way, especially when I'm trying something new.

Here's the thing though, whenever we are going to a party, pot luck or for a holiday, I make a brand new recipe that I have NEVER tried before. This drives people insane.  I don't know how many times people have told me they would never do something like that, but it is second nature to me.  Now I will tell you, I spend a lot of time researching these recipes. I check reviews, advice, and compare it to other recipes that are similar.  I've never made something that I don't know the taste of each and every ingredient. If these ingredients don't sound like they would mix together then I save it for a family night dinner, but otherwise I bravely use people I don't know as my guinea pigs. :D

While sitting there listening to my friend talk, I realized that I was in a food rut.  I've been making the same things over and over again. My family was tired of eating what I make and frankly I was tired of cooking what I cooked.  I was just going through the motions of feeding my family just to get them to be quiet and to go on with my selfish ways.  This was not only selfish, a poor example, but everything that goes against the nature and way God made me.

On the way home I was talking "at," this usually happens when I keep talking and don't give him a chance to answer, my husband about this and told him how I use to be that way.  I use to love trying new recipes and treating my family to a festival for their mouths.  I told him there was no reason I couldn't do this again.

It was when we arrived home that my daughter pointed out to me that it was a talent of mine to be able to do this.  I argued with her about this and then my husband joined in and argued with him about it as well.  I told them a talent was a natural gift from God, not something that I cultivate.  A talent is like his drawing ability, my daughters ability to create a crocheted item without a pattern, my son's ability to know when I don't feel good before I do.  It was after they gave up trying to convince me, me walking away to my room to cry that I began to pray about it.

While I was praying, I realized how unyielding I was being.  That I was refusing to listen to the love and advice my family was giving me.  I was ignoring God speaking to me through them.  I was so wrapped up in pitiful me to notice to grace that was being bestowed upon me.

So in order to keep myself positive about my talent, I'm going to start another blog about food.  Each day I will post about what I've tried to make for my family.  It won't always be great, but it will always be edible.  So here is to a new beginning to my new venture.

If you have any ideas what I should name my new blog please let me know.