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French Toast Flop

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Galatians 6:9

In 1987 I moved into my first apartment with my best friend. Infused with youthful invincibility I wanted to go, try and do everything I could. I had big dreams and hopes for my life.

It was a wonderful time, full of so many firsts like laundry and using a dishwasher. I learned quickly that dish washing liquid and automatic dish detergent are two separate entities. Dishwashing liquid in a dishwasher produces enough bubbles to fill a kitchen completely!

Up until this point my culinary skills had been very limited, but I was ready to conquer the kitchen. I tried a lot of things and failed at some.

One Saturday morning I decided to try my spatula at French toast. A personal favorite and seemingly simple recipe, I got everything together and began.

Moments later I presented my roommate with a plate of French toast, I was anxious to see what she thought. Cautiously, she inspected my offering. After all, there had been some pretty friend testing entrees set before her thus far.

The toast was dark brown—some may call it black—but it was more brown, really. The center was golden yellow with veins of brown though it. Little grains of sugar artfully sparkled adding to the appeal. The scent of cinnamon and sugar clashed in the air with maple syrup. I poured her a cold glass of milk and settled across from her my fork at the ready. Pride shone like morning sun from my face. I couldn’t take my eyes from her. This would be the one. Finally, a meal of satisfaction. She took a pat of butter and dropped it on the top. The pat disappeared. Leaning forward, we peered in the crater that had opened up to swallow the butter. It had fallen through the stack and hit the plate beneath. Raw egg mixture slowly spread around the blackened edges of the toast.

Failure.

Failure like that French toast is never easy to swallow, but it is a necessary part of growth. That includes your walk with Christ. Sometimes failure is necessary to help you understand someone else’s feelings or maybe even your own. Failure is humbling and brings us into submission with God. As well failure can encourage growth in character.

Today, my French toast is revered (ok revered is a little extreme, but they really do like it) in my home along with most of my other offerings. But it took time, practice, patience and faith to be able to say I am a good cook. It was worth the work.

Don’t be afraid to try. If you fail, get up, dust off and do it again.