God moments behind cooking my beef Omurice lunch

Today I tried to cook Beef Omurice lunch for my family. Needless to say, it was  a complete disaster. See the photos, nothing like the expected results.

To start, I was all excited. I watched the Youtube video recipe 3 times, went through the approach mentally and reiterated my thought process multiple times, prepared the ingredients and 'rolled up my sleeves'. I was ready. This was Masterchef at work!

I prayed for God's wisdom and His guidance. The dish would be awesome. 

Midway through, it dawned upon me that it was not as easy as it seemed. I floundered as I searched for 'forgotten' ingredients, struggled to open the beef wrapper, did not crack and beat the eggs, was unsure if I should heat up the beef first and then add the rice later, or should I wash the pan before cooking the other stuff, etc. Where did I go wrong?

I struggled - why didn't I prepare more, why did I miss this or that out, why wasn't the video more detailed, why couldn't I find my stuff?

The most infamous cry to God - WHY?

Final verdict - the sauce looked like some Chinese herbal medicine (and it tasted funny), the rice was clumpy and untasteful, the egg was not runny or flowy and resembled a half-past six egg omelet that a 9-year-old could do. 

My daughter's face blenched after a spoonful. "Please buy food back for your lunch, I'm serious," she grimaced to Mom in the Whatsapp chat.

Overall, the dish was a goner. Kaput, with a capital K.

When I finally settled down, God started to speak to me.

1. Humility: I, the often overly confident self, need to acknowledge I can't. Just because I watched some online videos a couple of times does not equate the ability to reproduce what I see. Many things need to be hands-on.
   God moment: God allows us to experience setbacks or a mountain so we can humble ourselves, come to Him and say we can't but God you can. Teach me your ways.
2. Faith: Just because I prayed and have faith to believe does not mean the result will come according to my expectations. We often think we can 'activate' our faith and the success will come like a snap of fingers.
   God moment: God is more interested in my person - changing my mind about Him, things, people, character building, and more so, speaking to me in my daily walk. And God allows failure to be part of the learning process. This is also part of our faith journey.
   
3. Practice: Things don't happen overnight. I need to practise and practise until the outcome is consistently good. Yes, I need faith; however I need to go through the process multiple times until the next 3-4 steps, or even the entire process, is at the back of my mind.
   Have we not marveled at a renowned pianist who can play a piece so beautifully without looking at the score? Or a chef who can whip up a dish that many flock to eat? It is because they have mastered their craft, and probably done the same process hundreds, if not thousands, of times.
   
   God moment: Sometimes we go through many dry spells or wilderness journeys with God. After passing through each time, we know Him even more than the previous.
   
4. Revelation: For the matter, just because I listened and watched an online video three times does not mean I have understood or captured the essence. I may have heard and watched Pastor Prince's sermons and preachings for the past 20 years. However, I just can't 'copy' him and repeat his revelations. It is his anointing and gifting from God.
   God moment: We need to have our own personal revelations, not borrowed ones. 
   
5. Judging: It is often easy to point out others' mistakes while watching from the sideline. I remembered while my daughter cooking dinner not too long ago, I easily pointed out things she had missed out, like keeping the meat outside for too long, not preparing the eggs, should have boiled the water first, etc.
   God moment: Often we judge others, not knowing their background and struggles/challenges they are going through. It is also easy to quote bible verses - God said this and that but living them out is entirely different.

Conclusion

How often we envy those who are successful, or made things look so easy. Don't we admire Pastor Prince and marvel how 'easy' he can preach his sermons without looking at his notes? But have we ever experienced his struggles and challenges and how he came to be where he is today? We enjoyed (Jacob's son) Joseph's success but we tend to forget his years as a slave and prisoner and his brothers' betrayal.

However, there is always a second chance with God. So, with these things in mind, I will attempt the beef Omurice again this weekend!

All glory to Him and may my family find grace and stomach to eat my cooking... again 😁