Last week I set out on a mission: to create the perfect gluten-free blueberry muffin. I started with a Krusteaz mix but couldn’t leave well enough alone. I substituted one ingredient, added a little extra of another, folded in fresh blueberries, sprinkled Turbinado sugar on top, and even let the batter rest before baking. Rev. Cindy had recently read about a few baking tricks, too - spacing the muffins farther apart in the pan, filling each cup a little higher than usual, starting with a hotter oven and then lowering the temperature.
            To my delight, every little adjustment worked. The muffins rose beautifully, with golden tops and juicy blueberries in every bite. They looked - and tasted - even better than I’d hoped. I was so excited that I ate two of them before they had cooled enough to hold comfortably.

            But then something unexpected happened.

            You’d think after all that experimenting I’d want to keep every muffin for myself. Instead, I found myself thinking about our neighbor, who also eats gluten-free. She happened to be home on vacation, and I couldn’t wait to bring a couple of muffins next door. Her husband was there, along with his brother, so I happily shared another one with each of them as well.

            As I walked back home, it occurred to me that my joy hadn’t been divided by giving the muffins away; it had multiplied. Isn’t that one of God’s quietest truths? Love doesn’t obey the usual rules of mathematics. When we divide a pie into smaller pieces, everyone gets less. But when we divide kindness, encouragement, hope, or joy, everyone somehow ends up with more, including the one who shares it.

            Jesus understood that better than anyone. Throughout the Gospels, he was constantly taking what seemed too small…a few loaves, a few fish, a cup of cold water, a simple meal…and showing that God’s abundance isn’t measured by how much we hold onto but by how freely we’re willing to give.

            I’ve noticed that this is true in everyday life as well. The vacation photo becomes more meaningful when you show it to someone. The funny story gets funnier each time you tell it. The loaf of homemade bread tastes even better when it’s delivered to a neighbor. And apparently, the perfect gluten-free blueberry muffin becomes even sweeter when someone else enjoys it with you.

            Perhaps that’s because we were created in the image of a God whose very nature is self-giving love. Joy was never meant to be hoarded; it was meant to be shared.

            This week, I learned that my best recipe wasn’t really about blueberries or sugar or baking temperatures. It was about generosity. And as it turns out, that’s always the secret ingredient.

 

Journeying together in faith and love,

Rev. Candi