Ask any mom with little ones: one of the worst places for a kid to cry inconsolably is church. Recently, Lily chose the prayer part of church service to throw a stunning temper tantrum. She was ripe for a nap and wanted to fight it the whole way. I took her out of service and into a stairwell, trying to calm her. Unfortunately, whole minutes passed, and I could not get her to stop. I tried it all– hushing, singing, bouncing– nothing worked.

I knew the whole congregation could hear her screaming, and I knew it was probably a huge test of Sam’s concentration to pray and preach through this epic meltdown Lily was having.

Piper loves to cook in the kitchen, so we let her do things within her ability: cracking the eggs, stirring things in the pan, pouring ingredients into bowls– just anything that she can handle. Recently, I’ve tried new sourdough discard cookie recipes that are so delicious, but they require a few extra steps to make them all the more delicious, like browning the butter, sifting the flour, and chilling the dough before putting them in the oven. They come out so warm and yummy that the extra steps seem worth it.

Last week, I had some sourdough discard to use, so I decided to make them. I started the process while Piper was watching a movie. She came in at the tail end of putting the batter together, so she probably only put in the last of the dry ingredients and chocolate chips; there wasn’t too much to do before putting it in the fridge other than letting her sneak a taste.

Does a bird reject its wings, wishing to take flight in any other way than the way it was designed to? Does a fish attempt to live underwater without its gills, breathing in some other way that allows it to work against God’s created intention for it? Does an elephant rebel against its being an elephant, trying to be a housecat? 

No. All creation lives in absolute submission to the Lord. In Matthew 6, we know Jesus talks about how the sparrow doesn’t fret over where it will be fed. The lilies don’t struggle against blooming. They don’t worry over being a thistle or a rose. All creation embraces their place in God’s creation.