Humble Pie

Back in October I was making pies for our family reunion. I thoroughly enjoy making the crust for pies, seeing it take shape and working with the dough. It is times like these when I feel close to my mom, my grandmothers, and their mothers, and their mothers before. I love the kin-ship that comes from working with pastry (or bread)dough, knowing that the women who came before me made treats for their families just like I do now. That is the sweet side of making pies. There is another side, though.

It feels good to accomplish the task of pie-crust perfection. It is a pat-yourself-on-the-back-kind-of-good. I look at my pie plates and see the crimped edges, the pretty cutouts. I have my butter out, ready to help the crust get that pretty golden color after baking. Then there is the cinnamon or sugar used to sprinkle on the buttered crust in hopes that every single bite will have a sweetness to it. In secret? There are high hopes that I will get oohs and aahs from the crust alone.

Now, that is just the pie crust! Which is enough to be ashamed of:: for finding pride in pastry AND for my self-seeking recognition of culinary perfection. But, no....I have to go one more step in the pride ride: the filling!!!!

I won't go into the Fudge Pecan pie...God has mostly kept me humble with that: Pecan pie can be challenging in and of itself.

Let's dive straight to the apple.

I do not have an apple peeler outside of my own hands and the paring knife I use to cut the apples. Yet, I have found great pleasure in the challenge of peeling an apple without the peel breaking. On this day, I had 8 apples, more than half peeled in one long strip. I was SOOOOOOO excited. Super-duper-ridiculously excited. So excited I wanted to call my friends and tell them about it. And, since no one was answering their phone, I decided to take a PICTURE (or 12) of my great accomplishment!


Look what I did!! Look at what I can do!! I am apple peeler extraordinaire!!!! I am Super Apple Peeler Woman!!!! snap the photo! snap the photo! Ha!!! I am sooo gooooood! I am giddy with my own self-importance! I take some more pictures: snap. snap. snap!

And then, I hear it.

Barely, but I hear it just the same.

Laughter...

...but, sweet, gentle laughter.

It was probably my imagination, but I felt like I was hearing laughter from God.

And then the humbling began. In a great and gentle whoosh I am brought back to recognizing the powerful One, the great One, the true "I AM." And the whispering to my heart said, "You may be able to peel those apples in one long strip, but can you put the peel ON an apple? And do it whole?"

ahhhh---no.
Huh-uh.
Nnnnope!
Not at all!
Aaaaannnnnnd...there goes my pride (thank the Lord!)!!!

The mercies, provisions, graciousness, and wisdom of the Lord swam before my eyes and filled the corners of my heart. I do not think that it was any accident that my Bible studies a few days later focused on the things God revealed about Himself (and man) when speaking to Job (Job 38-39).

I think I will still struggle with finding satisfaction in my own self-importance, with taking pride in places where none should be, and in being all-to-often self-righteousness and judgmental. I am grateful to know, though, that in the midst of those times, I have a gracious Father who will show me my errors and, sometimes with laughter, sometimes with seriousness, He will guide me to His better place.

I erased a lot of the pictures of those apples, keeping just a few to remind myself where my pride should be placed (in God) and how easy it is to misplace it(in my abilities). Humble pie is not always easy to eat, but it is what my apple pie turned into that weekend. There were so many desserts at the Family banquet table that no one ate any of my pies. I had to bring them home...and eat them myself...fortunately with the help of a few children and my sweet husband. :o)