Breakfast Muffins with a Side of Conviction

This morning I planned to make chocolate chip muffins for a breakfast treat. As soon as I told Claire, she immediately asked, "Can I help?" Claire LOVES to help me in the kitchen. Whether it is cleaning or cooking, this girl loves to help. It is really sweet and I love watching how excited she gets.

So today we strapped on her little apron and started the process. Now I have to confess something here of which I am not proud. It is HARD for me to let Claire help. When she helps, things are messier and the process takes longer. 

My type A, perfectionist nature sometimes gets the best of me and I quickly become a spoon grabber. I'll let her do a little bit and then quickly grab the spoon to finish up the stirring. I don't think she minds, she always seems thrilled to take part no matter how small the part.

But today, Claire said something that gave me pause. She was beaming at the thought of  doing it all by herself. She said, "I can't wait until Daddy gets home so I can tell him that I made muffins all by myself!" So I let her.

It wasn't easy. I don't do well being the silent observer. But I did my best to keep my hands off the process.

As I watched my sweet girl attempt to spoon batter into the muffin pan, the Lord used my frustrations to teach me a valuable lesson. 

I couldn't help but think about how often the Lord must watch me fumble through tasks that I am DETERMINED to do all by myself. Does He cringe at my feeble attempts? Does His stomach tie itself in knots because He knows there is a better way? I don't know. But what I do know is how grateful I am that He lets me grow and learn through these fumbles. All the while, He is standing by ready for my call for help.  

I am so grateful for this little reminder. While I like to think that I have things all figured out, the truth is that I am really just a sweet little 4 year old attempting to pour batter into a muffin pan. And I am blessed to be loved to pieces by the One who allows me to create the mess.