How God Views Us
Savvy Saturdays - 5/30/20
Hello friends,
Greetings from Austin!
I’ve been getting more creative with my baking adventures and learned to make two new baked goods last weekend - oatmeal banana chocolate chip cookies and pizza!
One of my good friends, who inspired me to bake, gave me a long list of different recipes to use, and the recipe for these cookies was A+. They turned out really well and were as healthy as they were tasty! (note: overripe bananas really bring out the aroma)
The pizza recipe, on the other hand, was suggested by one of my best friends. Side boasting moment, they were with me during my latest nights whilst coding, gave me advice when I didn’t know the answer, and without them, I wouldn’t have found the job I currently work at.
Thank you, Google.
(seriously though, all I did was search up “how to make pizza dough from scratch” and picked the first recipe).
I had a craving to make pizza after learning to make tortillas from scratch a couple of weeks ago (because my stash of tortillas molded in the pantry *sad face), and so my roommates and I set out on a mission to build the best pizza in the world.
We ended up building two pizzas which turned out surprisingly well!
The bread was less chewy and had a more crunchy homemade feel to it. We even made a cheesy stuffed crust! (worked out okay… not as gooey)
And the best part was we could stuff as many toppings on the pizza as we wanted!(Other build-your-own pizza places can only fit so much, so it’s a dream come true. *cry face)
Through the process of exploring how to make these new baked goods - the mixing of ingredients, kneading the dough, chilling in the fridge, putting into the oven, and pulling out the finished product - it has helped me better understand and appreciate the way God views us as His creation.
In the same way that I find pride in pouring hours into my creations of all-purpose floured snacks & overstuffed pizzas and in the same way you may find joy over the different creations you create, God finds that same pride and joy in His creation.
13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Just as we find joy when others find enjoyment in the photos, social media posts, and active eating of our creations (if they’re edible), God finds great joy when we find enjoyment in the beauty of His creation.
And with any piece of creation, there is a purpose for it. To serve practically or to be some form of expression of the creator.
And as finite expressions of an infinite God, our purpose is to demonstrate His infinite characteristics through our life in Christ Jesus for good works. (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)
So whatever you do today and this week, whether you eat or drink or work in creation do all to the glory of God! (1 Cor. 10:31 ESV) Be proud of creation and know that God views you with that same love and pride that you have for your creation.
Anyways thanks for tuning. I know there’s a lot going on in the U.S. right now - layers of brokenness, injustice, all on top of quarantine.
It’s very easy to get discouraged and it’s understandable to be heartbroken on issues. If you need prayer, feel free to respond with prayer requests and I would love to pray for you!
This is a fight we battle each day in living life, especially living in faith.
I hope that y’all continue to fight that fight with the hope of the Gospel in mind, and don’t let disappointments and anger in this world overwhelm you.
Fight with love, and with grace.
Thanks for tuning in once again, please stay safe, and I'll see y'all in the next update!
Weekly Collections
Faith
The Sorrows of Minneapolis: A Prayer for Our City
If you’re not aware, there has been a lot of injustice happening in the black community. The sorrows of this world never seem to end and this brutality is unfair for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who just wish to live without fear of leaving their homes - to live normally.
This prayer that John Piper prayed over his own city was one that personally hit hard, and gave perspective as well as pointed towards God.
It is a prayer for justice in God’s Will and a prayer for hope. I hope it is timely.
“May our leaders love the truth, seek the truth, stand unflinching for the truth, and act on the truth. Let nothing, O Lord, be swept under the rug. Forbid that any power or privilege would be allowed to twist or distort or conceal the truth, even if the truth brings the privileged, the rich, the powerful, or the poor, from the darkness of wrong into the light of right.”
Productivity
Untools: Tools for better thinking
I was introduced to mental models in college, and they have helped me tremendously in being equipped to explore the uncharted waters of life and attend to practical matters in life. This website introduces a starter kit of models to add to your tool belt. I hope it will help you in your journey in life too!
Mental Model
Second-Order Thinking - Consider the long-term consequences of your decisions.
“Some decisions seem like wins at first, but turn out to be losses over time. What seems like an investment now turns out to be a liability later. What looked like a good decision earlier is now a bad one. Second-order thinking is a tool that will help you examine the long-term effects of your decisions.”
“Failing to consider second- and third-order consequences is the cause of a lot of painfully bad decisions, and it is especially deadly when the first inferior option confirms your own biases. Never seize on the first available option, no matter how good it seems, before you’ve asked questions and explored.”
—Ray Dalio.
Verse of the Week
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
—Psalm 73:25-26
Challenging Quote
“Live in a way that makes time your friend, not your enemy."
—Anonymous