Today I made scones.
I had never made scones from scratch before.
It was a simple recipe I found online. I gathered the ingredients, most of which I already had, I measured the ingredients, and I mixed the ingredients according to the directions. Then I got my hands in the bowl and worked the dough through my fingers and with my palms. Stirring the dough with a wooden spoon, per the recipe instructions, just pushed moist crumbles around. Only by using my hands could I adequately complete the recipe, forming the mixture into what it needed to be.
It was messy! Almond flour under my fingernails, sticky raw egg wetness between my knuckles. I hated the way it felt; it wasn’t like making bread dough which is smooth and stretchy, pulling itself into a ball. This scone dough wanted to stick more to my hands than I wanted it to, a risk of using a non-wheat flour. I finally surrendered to the discomfort, knowing the reward would be tasty! I formed the dough into scone-shaped triangles and baked them.
12 minutes later, I had tasty almond-blueberry scones, a work of my hands (literally) to provide nourishment to my body and satisfaction to my tastebuds.
I made something. I created something. And in it, I remembered how much I love to create. Being creative is an action which results in me feeling more like myself. I more easily and more fully embrace who I am when I create. Being creative draws me closer to God as I bear the image of the Creator I was modeled after.
We honor him by being like him. He created out of nothing, using his words and his breath to give life. How much life, either our own or others’, do we nurture when we spend time creating?
Reading Genesis 1-2 reveals the creativity that went into bringing the world into existence. I imagine the dirt under God’s ethereal fingernails as he scooped up dust and breathed life into it. I imagine the molding and forming which took place to create the structure we know as the human body. Was it as easy for him to carve out mountains as it is to form scone dough into shape?
The scones were made from a simple recipe. It was easy to follow and made with few ingredients. My motivation in making them was to use the rest of the blueberries I had on hand before they went bad! I didn’t set out to be creative. I just didn’t want to waste food.
These simple scones proved to not just be a tasty treat. The process of creating them helped foster a connection to the one who created all.
Today I made scones. It was worship. It was creation. And it was good.
2 Responses
This reminds me of the revelation that hit me while as a student in college when I saturated my mind with Colossians 3:17, 3:23, and I Corinthians 10:31. These scripture verses were the focus of a booklet from FCA called, “Total Release”. The “Moment” and “Opportunity” came alive to me as I released them to His Worship and Purpose.
Wow, Tony, that’s amazing! I love how you have saturated your mind with Scripture for so long – I remember you telling us about how you read Proverbs over and over again, 1 each day for a month, and how transformative that can be. I am practicing releasing these small moments of each day to His purpose, too! Thank you for sharing!