We had a fun afternoon this week. My husband went out to mow and came back with a handful of Morel mushrooms. What a great find! We both headed to do a bit more foraging and discovered quite a few more. It was fun. It brought back memories of hunting for them with my dad when I was a kid.
The thing with foraging for mushrooms is, in the beginning, you can’t see them very well. They blend into the landscape, but then you spot one. Suddenly, more spring into view. They were always there, our eyes know what to look for and we recognize them.
Before you ask, it is very easy to detect the counterfeits. We did a little research and found that morels are an excellent choice for beginning foragers due to the fact their copycats are not very good at copying.
When it came time to cook the mushrooms, I did what my mom did. I sliced them in half, dipped them in an egg wash and cracker crumbs and fried them. Yummo. Good thing they only come around once a year. Hero and Baby J goggled them up, Hero saying, “Tastes like chicken.” I guess they do look a little like chicken nuggets. Lol!
As usual, God never lets anything pass by without a lesson. The same was turn with our afternoon of foraging. The verse that came to mind was—
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.
Jeremiah 23:13
This verse comes on the heels of the “I know the plans I have for you” that we love to cling to in times of trouble. And as we should, but I find it helpful to continue reading to see just what those plans hold. The “hope and a future” talked about in Jeremiah 29:11 will include finding God.
God likes to be found.
The fact is, He is not even hiding. He is always there, but there are times we can’t see Him for all the things that are vying for our attention. It’s like the mushrooms we found in our yard. Once we knew they were there, we had to seek them out to find them. The amazing thing is, the more we sought them, the more they became visible to us. Our brains started to see, but we needed to be looking.
That is exactly what God was trying to reveal to the Israel in the Jeremiah passage. Look for Me, and when you do that, you’ll find Me. He wants us to know that, too. His hope for us is that we seek Him and find Him. When we do that we are brought into a future filled with hope, one in which we see God everywhere.
Start looking for God even when you think He can’t possibly be in your situation. I think He might surprise you. He shows up in the most unusual places.
May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
Join the Conversation
- Where have you seen God in these past days as our lives are turned upside down? I admit, there are days when things just seem hard. I’ve had my share, but God usually reminds me He is still there. How about you?
- Do you have any good Morel mushroom recipes? Please, do share. I have a big bowl of mushrooms in the fridge.