Faith

Boredom, Books, and Banana Bread

On May 1, 2021 by

Does anyone else settle into a good book when they are bored?  I love to escape into another world when mine seems blah.  Last weekend I was happily ensconced in Colleen Oakley’s novel, You Were There Too.  No spoiler alerts here, but I will say it was 100% satisfying from start to finish. https://colleenoakley.com/books/you-were-there-too/    (* Link to author website, not monetized.)

I was sitting in my comfy chair reading the story of a woman having recurring dreams of a handsome stranger when I sensed someone was watching me. My less than stealthy seven-year-old daughter was staring at me in the hopes I would abandon my book in order to entertain her. I was determined to read.  She was determined to make me relent.

She. Kept. Staring.

Unnerved by the feeling of being under a microscope, I put my book down and offered to bake with her. I happened to have three sad looking bananas on the counter. Covered in their brown and black spots, they were a perfect candidate for being rescued and transformed into banana bread.

My sister phoned while my daughter and I were stirring ingredients. I told her what we were doing, and she remarked with a laugh, “I wonder who the first person was to say, ‘I’m going to take this rotten fruit and bake with it.’”

Folks, my spirit animal is Curious George. I love to look random things up. Who created the air conditioner?  Willis Carrier, engineer. Who created the zipper?  Gideon Sundback, engineer.  Who created the automatic dishwasher?  Josephine Cochrane, socialite daughter of an engineer. Round of applause for engineers and their brainy kids, please!

As soon as my sister said, “I wonder who….”  It was GAME ON.

According to the BananaPolice.com, “Bananas first became popular with the masses at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Celebration, where they were sold wrapped in foil for 10 cents each.”

It wasn’t until the Great Depression in the 1930’s that blackened bananas would become too precious to throw away.  American housewives desperate to feed their families were quick to see value in the imperfect fruit and the banana bread recipe was born.

Unlike in modern day England where the grocery store chain Sainsbury’s had to create a marketing campaign to lure customers into looking past banana imperfections and stop tossing a million bananas per day. https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/news/latest-news/2017/15-05-2017

I began to think of how some people see blackened bananas. Some see them as worth rescuing and transforming into a delicious filling bread. Yet others can’t or won’t see value in something covered in dots and spots.

That led me to thinking how good Jesus is to us. He came to this earth to save us, seeing past our spots, dots and imperfections. He didn’t need to fall for a fancy marketing campaign to see our worth. He rescued us and transformed us, turning us into something new and wonderful. Because he loves us.

How awesome is that??? 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”   2nd Corinthians 5:17

 “If anyone.” Isn’t that the loveliest offer ever?    Rich, poor, young, old, black, white, free, in prison, gay, straight, spots, dots, it doesn’t matter!  This offer is available to ANYONE.  ANYTIME.

“Is in Christ.” This is where the offer brings the one and only condition. You cannot be a new creation without being in Jesus. Just as icky bananas can’t become banana bread without the baking soda. Baking soda acts as a leavening agent to make baked goods rise. Jesus is our transformational agent.

“A new creation.” It’s wonderful to realize that Jesus makes us new. We do not become perfect, but a new creation. We are no longer a banana turning to sticky goop and covered in dots and spots. He loves us that much.

Dear reader, the next time you look in the mirror and see only your spots and dots, look again. You are worth rescuing, you are worth transforming. You are loved.  You can be a new creation. You just need to be ‘in Jesus.’   

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Romans 10:13

Call on Jesus. Leave behind your spots and dots. Become a new creation!

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