Mac and Ease

Posted by: Tom Neering from Middays | Monday, June 2nd, 2025 (12:00am)

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.—Psalm 65:8

It's funny how God can take a moment that is so difficult and turn it into something that brings us joy and a sense of well-being.

When I was younger I was a latchkey kid, raised by a single mom who had to work so I was on my own once getting home from school. Often I would have to make my own meals, and in doing so, learned how to be quite a good cook. I remember once when I was making mac and cheese. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot to me. I was probably eight years old at the time. We did not have much, and even this little box of mac and cheese was special to me. After going through all the steps of getting it ready, I went to finish and the whole packet of cheese powder flew all over the floor. I started crying. Not out of frustration, but just out of a knowledge that it was the last box and feeling a slight sense of failure for messing up my dinner.

That moment stood out in my mind for a long time. It became kind of a touchpoint for the lack I had in my life, and part of a dialogue that I had with the Father about the pain from my past. For a long time that memory just brought me sadness. Recently I had a bit of a replay of that moment. I was making mac and cheese, and the exact same thing happened. As a grown man, I just started crying. I remembered the pain of that moment and the failure I felt. I remembered my tears, and it's as if those very tears from years before had started streaming down my face once again.

But then, God reminded me of how far he had brought me since that moment...about how much I have learned, and how he has been ever present in my life to care for and love me; to grow me and teach me. He took me back to those times of lack, and He shared with me how much He has given me since that time. Suddenly, those tears turned to laughter and that pain turned to joy. It's wild how God can take a pain and call forth joy from it. He does such things. He just does. Trust in Him and His great love in your life today. He will never let you down. His wonders are mighty whether big or small, and He works them in the lives of His people every day.