Whirly Swirly Things
By Shirley Mitchell
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
1 Corinthians 13:12
My daughter Victoria had the sweetest kindergarten teacher. Mrs. Sloane has the softest voice and every part of her was the beauty of a woman. Truly her gentleness is evident to all who meet her. For Mother’s Day this year, Mrs. Sloane brought each child to her desk to tell her in his or her own words their favorite food recipes their mothers make.
Now, if you know me, then you might be snickering at me right now. I’m not known for my cooking. My husband Doug is the chef in our house. He makes almost every meal that we eat, and he makes them delicious! Well, there is something else that very few people know about me. A few times a year, I come into Doug’s kitchen because I miss cooking, and I like to cook new things. To my despair, it takes me twice as long as Doug because I do not know where anything is in his kitchen. I could try to blame it on my unfamiliarity with the recipe, but it is really that I don’t know where he keeps things. Thankfully, I just had one of these notions to cook something right before it was time for my daughter to tell the teacher her recipe. It would have been horrifying for my embarrassment to be transferred to my daughter if she had to say something like, “I thought mommies never cooked.” Once again glory to God for covering me by inspiring me to cook the dish that she told her teacher was “Broccoli Bread.” Here is the recipe in Victoria’s own words that she told her teacher:
Ingredients: Broccoli, carrots, whirly swirly things
Directions (from observing her mommy): “She takes the broccoli, carrots, and other things and mixes up in a salad bowl. She spreads it on the whirly swirly things on the pan, and then she cooks it so we can eat it. She cuts it up, and then she feeds us.”
Victoria didn’t know that the dish that she loves to eat is really a “Broccoli Braid” – yuk to the “Broccoli Bread.” She didn’t know what was in the mixture except for broccoli. She was wrong about the carrots. I don’t use carrots in this dish. She also didn’t know the whirly swirly things were the crescent dough twisted together to give the braided look. She couldn’t repeat the recipe, but she just knew that she liked it.
It reminded me of this verse. I see dimly now. But someday, I’ll see Jesus face-to-face. Today I only know in part. I do not understand the fullness of grace. I just know I received it as a gift. I do not know how to experience joy all of the time, but then joy will overflow continuously. I do not understand why some prayers were answered by a “no.” I can only trust that it was God’s best. I do not know how this life’s journey will end. I do not know if I will end well and love well until the end. I do not understand how God looked at me at the lowest point of my life with sin heaped upon me, and I was reaping the consequences of my choices. I don’t know all of the ingredients that He used to turn my life around and bring Him glory. I can guess that He used ingredients such as orchestrating my events and bringing people to come into my life, but I can’t complete an accurate list of ingredients.
I do not understand the Holy Spirit. God’s Word tells me that He is like the wind that I can’t see. I know that I can feel Him near me, but I do not know His mind and how He works completely. I do not know what heaven will be like, what I will look like, what we will do, what it will be like to see Jesus, or how wonderful it will be to live with Him forever.
For now, I only know in part. I am a highly educated woman who knows about physics, fluids, chemistry, dynamics, project management, and the list could continue. However, I can’t describe fully many things about God. I can’t find the words that describe His majesty and the blessings of being in a relationship with Him. I am as good at describing the attributes of God, the workings of the Holy Spirit, heaven, and how God relates to us as my daughter is describing that dish that I make for her. Just as Victoria enjoys that dish, I delight in every part of my God even though my human mind is limited in describing Him. I’m okay being in a relationship with someone that I do not know completely. In fact, I love it that I can only describe some of His ways and character by saying it looks like whirly swirly things to me. It only intrigues me to spend more time with Him so I can know Him more on this side of heaven. One day, I will see Him face-to-face and I know fully.
Pray with me: Oh, Lord, there are so many things that look like whirly swirly things to me. But just as Victoria trusts her mother, I can also trust my Father. You intrigue me! What I don’t know about You just makes me want to know You more. Today I see dimly, and sometimes there are dark clouds in my way. However, some sweet day I will know in full. I will see you face-to-face, and I’ll understand the things that confused me. In Your presence, my denseness will fade. I’ll understand. It will bring me close to You, the desire of my heart. It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.