made from scratch

It’s a badge of honor and glory.  When something is home made, hand made, made from scratch, it means that it’s a better product, right?

“Made from scratch” definitely makes it better to me.  Betty Crocker brownies from a box are pretty good.  Brownies that are home made, hand made, made from scratch just have that extra oomph to make them a special treat. Chocolate pudding?  Well, start with cocoa and all those scratch ingredients, cook it according to the recipe book, serve it warm…….. and Man, what you talking ’bout!   Compared to “made from scratch” chocolate, instant chocolate pudding is like eating the wet paper towels used when you spill your coffee on the computer. (There it’s cleaned up, sorry for the interruption)

Friends of mine, Jon and Liz have a farm where everything seems to be made from scratch. It’s a beautiful site.  You would agree with me.  Picture a country setting, a warming spring day, tractor plowing the fields and garden, and what looks like close to a hundred chickens, ducks, geese, guineas, and other feathered friends. These birds are canvassing over and across the just plowed corn field scratching to their hearts content.  It was a beautiful site seeing all those birds free ranging in Jon’s field. This farm will be producing lots of vegetables and fresh eggs.  But, as a fly fisherman, what was the beauty that I was most interested in? ……….Feathers!!!

It’s a badge of honor and glory to tie your own “made from scratch” flies.  Even more glory when you catch fish on the flies that you yourself have tied.  Jon and Liz gave me a bagful of feathers the next day. (I guess he could tell I was drooling over all those “feathers” walking around in his garden.)  Hey, fly fishermen don’t think exactly like everyone else.

I’ve taken those feathers, and have made a fishing fly that is home made, hand made, and made from scratch.  In a few days, this fly will be cast on the water ever so gently, with the hope of catching another trophy.

Ephesians 2:10New International Version (NIV)¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God has made you.  You are His home made, hand made, made from scratch.  It’s a badge of honor and glory.  Yet sometimes we put ourselves down.  We think that we are no good.  I’ll never forget even though it was years ago.  A severely mentally handicapped young man came to our church and sang “Somebody bigger than you and I”.  It made me realize that I was not much more than this mentally handicapped  young man.  But there he was saying “I know I’m somebody, cause God don’t make no junk!”

Well, there you go.  In spite of your problems, your shortcomings, your not being perfect……. you are home made, hand made, and made from scratch.  And God don’t make no junk!   It’s a badge of honor and glory.  Make something from nothing!  Let your glory be for God’s Glory!

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher