I’ve been making sourdough for years. It seems like recently it is all the rage, and I love that. I hear moms talking about their starters, trying new recipes to use up the daily discard, and asking questions about why things didn’t work as they thought they would.
Keeping a sourdough starter alive is a lot like having another child. After all, we put a lot of effort into creating an environment in which it will thrive. We have to feed it every day, make sure it is well cared for, with the right conditions to keep it healthy. Taking care of a sourdough starter takes effort and consistency. It takes constant tending. That may sound a little overblown to some, but hear me out.
For anyone who’s ever worked with a sourdough starter, don’t you find yourself asking the same questions about this fermented concoction of water, flour and good bacteria as you do about life in general? “Am I doing this right? Is this a good use of my time? Do I have time for this? What do I do with what is left? How do I make the most of what I’ve got? Am I enjoying this process?”
This delicate starter that we coddle like a small child presents us with a set of conditions — a recipe of ifs and whens that must be fulfilled before we create the perfect loaf of bread or a wholesome life. Have you ever found yourself saying, “If this happens, then …” Or, “When this happens, then I can …” (fill in the blank). Like sourdough, until these ifs and whens are fulfilled, we can’t produce the environment or the life we’ve dreamed of. Instead, we feel stagnant; we don’t grow.
Sometimes the dough is too sticky. It goes flat due to inactivity. But when it’s just right, it will begin bubbling with activity.
The Bible references bread 361 times. In John 6:25-59 Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Picture a hangry crowd of people, much like those little ones gathered around your table each night. This crowd was looking to Jesus to feed them, not just physically, but spiritually as well. At that moment, Jesus multiplied the bread to feed the crowd; it was a gift from God. In Exodus, God fed his people in the desert with manna (bread) that fell from Heaven. Centuries later, during the last supper, Christ referred to bread as his own body. The “Bread of Life” is a significant proclamation of His ministry and miracles. Jesus was teaching His followers that He alone was their true source of everlasting, imperishable, inexhaustible life. Jesus, provides abundantly and always leads our spirit to bubble over with joy. Today, bread continues to symbolize the Word of God, which nourishes us. He is constantly tending to our souls, providing the right conditions for us in which to grow and thrive.
The next time you invite friends or family over to break bread, or the next time you feed your sourdough starter, ponder the significance of the bread and the ministry we have the privilege to be a part of everyday. Things may sometimes seem to get out of balance or be a little flat or sticky … but God is always there, working to make it just right for us through the Bread of Life.
This season as we bake with our littles, break bread with loved ones, pull apart gooey discard cinnamon rolls, or bite into rich discard-double-chocolate cookies, let’s be open to receiving what God has in store. Take these moments to ask what is God going to show us, teach us, reveal to us? We often give life (and sometimes God) a set of conditions we want to be perfect, how we believe things should be. Let’s learn from the simply complicated sourdough starter on our counter that God is working in us. Each day brings the opportunity to practice patience, cultivate and nurture growth, embrace imperfection and stay connected to our community. To accomplish these things, all we need to do is be open to receiving. Receive the tests, the trials, the joys, and most of all, rejoice in the journey.
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