INSPIRASUNS

One of the gifts on my Christmas wishlist this year was a small cast iron skillet. You see, we have a “condo-size” version of a Weber grill. You know, the kind that runs on one of those little green one-pound size propane tanks. For those of you who are big tailgaters, it would be one of those types of grills. It has a smaller grill size so a regular size pan won’t allow the lid to close. Ok, so now that I’ve taken forever to spell that out, sorry, you get the idea of what I mean.

Anyway, I asked for a small cast iron skillet to use for things like cooking veggies, fish, etc. I just love the cast iron skillet for a couple of reasons. First, my mom had a set of these, which I gave to our daughters when we moved to Florida. They were large pans and mom used them like they were the only fry pans we had. She cooked things like her famous salmon patties, and fried potatoes, heck she even made cornbread in them. The memories I have of mom using those pans are priceless.

I also love using cast iron because of the flavors they hold and how strong they are. I mean you aren’t going to damage a cast iron skillet. The more you use these pans the more “seasoned” they become. If you have one you know that the first thing you do when you get it is to wash it and then oil it. Those first couple of times the pan just soaks up the oil, and you can almost hear it say, “ooohhhh thank you”. Each time you use the pan the flavors begin to season it and the amount of oil you need to use after washing lessons. You begin to notice the food you cook in the pan is more flavorful and before you know it, this little gem is one of your favorite pieces of cooking equipment 🙂 .

I think we, God’s children are a little like a cast iron skillet, (funny analogy I know, but roll with me on this). When we are born we’re taken care of, cleaned, and made fresh with lotion, wrapped in a warm blanket, and placed in mom or dad’s arms to hold and love. As we move through life, it seasons us with experiences. With each experience, with each challenge with each person we meet we learn and grow.

Sometimes we may not believe it but we are just as strong as these cast iron gems. God has given us incredible strength, and an added benefit is he is always here to replenish us when we feel weak. We just need to allow him in to do that.

So maybe I’m stretching things a little bit in today’s little blog. I just couldn’t help but think about the similarities between us and the cast iron pan. We are here to live to learn grow and love. Keep adding to your experiences, and keep seasoning your life. And…let Father be the oil that keeps you in good shape.

Have a great day my friends 🙂

1 John 2:20
But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.