By Brenda Groves
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
I recall the first time I cooked a pork tenderloin roast. That morning, I put it in my slow cooker, and by evening I was quite surprised how delicious it had turned out.
Well, the next time I cooked another one, I selected the exact same type of pork roast. And by memory I tried to duplicate how I had prepared it. I recalled pouring a small mixture of water with a few other liquid flavors over it and sprinkling some spices. We wanted to eat a little earlier so I set the slow cooker for six hours, said a quick prayer and walked away.
But this time, the results were not the same. Oh, it looked just as tasty as the other one, but the inside was dry, brittle and had no rich flavor in every bit like the first roast. A bit disappointed, I quickly chopped it up and combined it with a few cups of the leftover broth. Better, but still not even close to the first one.
I questioned how it could be so dry sitting in the middle of water?
Now, over the years I’ve learned to talk to the Lord about everything. Even about why a roast was dry. And I got my answer and much more!
The Holy Spirit reminded me that I had prepared the first roast the night before, carefully rubbing it with oil and spices and placing it in a ziplock bag to let it marinate overnight. I cooked it very slowly for eight hours.
Then the Lord asked me something as He softly spoke to my heart, “Brenda, how can some people sit in My presence surrounded by love and look well on the outside but on the inside they are brittle and dry?”
I answered Him, “because they haven’t prepared their heart, Lord? They haven’t taken the time to soak in Your presence, to allow Your love to pour over them and meditate on Your word, giving it time to soak in.”
Immediately, I thought about my own heart.
He is a personal God, and He is concerned about our relationship above all others things. How am I relating to Him, receiving and responding to His love? His Holy Spirit living in me is alive and well, but my mind can be elsewhere, busy with work and just the cares of this world. My heart can become dry and brittle. It can become hardened in areas. There is a difference between tough and strong. You can be tenderhearted and your heart can be strengthened in the Lord at the same time.
But how rich is the flavor of His word.
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!.” Psalm 34:8 “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:3
Contact Brenda Groves at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
