Pancakes and Piper

Pancake [ pan-keyk ]

noun

a thin, flat cake of batter fried on both sides on a griddle or in a frying pan; griddlecake or flapjack.   (Dictionary.com)

As I strolled into our walk-in closet this morning to grab a shirt, I looked to my left at the two wardrobe boxes that have most of Piper’s clothes in them and then glanced up at a couple of her sweaters and jackets on the rack that she frequently wore.  Without thinking I reached out and took an arm of her favorite long waisted, hooded, white wool sweater and gently brought it to my left cheek.  I savored its soft touch for a moment and thought about the countless times she wore it over the years. 

If I am not mistaken, I went shopping for that sweater while accompanied by two of the youth from our first youth group at a store in the Coddingtown Mall in our hometown around 1977!  Needless to say… she had that sweater… which is STILL in great condition, I might add… for many years!

When I finally let go of the arm, I paused and thought of what I wouldn’t give to see her walking around in that sweater again.  Then I quickly imagined her walking in behind me right then and there saying, “Good morning Jim!  Let’s go get breakfast… in fact… I’ll make you some pancakes!”  She knew I loved pancakes and could eat them almost daily… so to dream of her saying that would not be much of a stretch!  With that thought fresh in my mind, I grabbed a T-shirt, slipped it on and began to step out of the closet… only to have to stop again when I remembered a funny moment around the subject of pancakes and Piper.

Saturday mornings were always kind of a special time around our house when the kids were growing up and it seems like I very often times made pancakes or waffles for the family on that day.  I sort-of considered myself the Pancake King and also made them whenever we went camping.  But on one particular Saturday, Piper insisted on being the chef of the skillet!  And like she normally did, she turned it into a teaching moment and soon had the kids surrounding her as she explained the step by step process. 

After a while I noticed that she kept looking up to me as she described the right technique and timing once the batter was in the skillet.  Then it finally dawned on me that she was trying to teach ME TOO… ME… the Pancake King!  “What nerve!” I thought… but surely didn’t say anything… although my surprise was most likely very evident on my face!  But she was unfazed by my antics and with that cute little smile of hers that could melt my opposition in a moment, went on to explain how I usually waited too long to flip the cakes so that they ended up being a little dry.

Well, as you can imagine… I was a little huffy and puffy but finally managed to get over it… EXCEPT, you know… she was right!  And what made me laugh this morning, many years after the incident, was that I have remembered her words and her demonstration EVERY time that I have made pancakes since then!  Talk about the power of your words!  And did you know that pancakes are also a Biblical food?  Leviticus 2:5 told how to make them thousands of years ago, saying “to bring a Grain-Offering cooked on a griddle, use fine flour mixed with oil but without yeast.” (MSG)  Sounds like delicious pancakes to me… right? 

So… did I write all this just to get you all to enjoy a stack of properly cooked pancakes today… although that IS a good suggestion?  Not really, but I thought it was a good way to talk about the importance of our words and how and when we say them!  Piper could have simply gotten upset with my dried-out pancakes and told me what she thought about them, but as was her way, she carefully and sweetly chose her words as well as the timing of them.  And you know… it worked… and has positively stuck with me for years!

In speaking of the Holy Spirit, John 16:13 states that “…He won't speak on his own. He will speak what he hears and will tell you about things to come.” (God’s Word ©)  I think that this is a good example for all of us to follow.  To make sure that the words we speak are HIS words, spoken with HIS love and in HIS perfect timing!  I can’t tell you of all the thoughtless words that were spoken to us during the time of Piper’s illness.  Some of those really hurt and the one’s uttering them had no idea and took no responsibility for what they said.

2 Timothy 1:7 instructs us “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  To me, that spirit of love in us means that we have the ability to make sure that our spoken words are always words of love… and not some careless remark that we take no time to consider before we say it.

Have a wonderful new week and as you do, consider your words, be responsible for them and then say with me… “I am expecting my words to be a blessing to everyone I speak them to today!”