Doc says I make I mean batch of vegetable soup. I tell him I’ve had years of practice and if there’s one thing I’ve learned…

Know when to walk away.

You know what I’m talking about. You add a dot of garlic.

Shoot! Too much.

So you counter it with a pinch of basil.

Hmmm. That’s not right either.

Maybe it needs a smidgeon of brown sugar.

At the end of the day you realize you should’ve stopped ten flavors ago. There’s something to be said for learning to———

Trust the Soup.

Here’s the thing about soup: if you leave it alone, the ingredients you slaved to pour into it will have time to stew. They melt, mold, brew and brine until the blend that was destined to birth arrives.

I’m learning to do that with people I care about.

I had a recent (as in this morning) opportunity to choose between stirring the pot and trusting the soup.

Dang girls. It was hard.

The difficulty didn’t stem from the sense that I was some type of savior and I knew I could help. On the contrary, I wasn’t convinced I knew what to say. All I really knew was that I cared deeply. But, before I opened my mouth I removed myself, found a quiet spot, and prayed.

“Lord, what do you want me to do? Every fiber in my being thinks this is not the best decision but I’m not sure what, if anything, I should say?”

You already know how He responded.

Loud. And. Clear.

Trust the soup sister.

You see, when my kids were younger and I wanted some painful “this or that” to go away God gave me an image of stew simmering on a stove. He’d remind me that as much I was ready to remove the heat, He wasn’t quite done.

“I can take it off the stove honey, but the end result won’t be quite as good.”

He wasn’t teaching me to trust the soup…

He was teaching me to trust HIM.

How about you?

Is there someone you care about for whom intervention of some type seems wise? Without question there are times we should respond with words and/or actions when we’re convinced it’s what a loved one needs most.

But perhaps, there are times we need to take a step back. We need to close our mouths and instead of reaching with our hands we need to fold them, pray, and trust the Chef.

I found these notes in His cookbook. I hope they encourage you as much as they encouraged me.

Today I’m whispering a prayer for myself and anyone else who wants to help, but doesn’t know how and in the end may simply need to trust the soup.

Savoring the journey with you,

Cindy