Sourdough or not Sourdough

I’ve toyed with sourdough a few times. The first time was 30 years ago when people shared a starter and a recipe for sweet bread. But the regular sourdough … I hadn’t tried it until several months ago. Of course, I read many recipes and blogs. While reading, it sounded particularly intense and like things had to be exact. I got frustrated, threw the starter away, and didn’t try again for a while.

When I was ready to try again, I ordered a 150-year-old starter from Etsy. The letter they sent with the starter jump-started the part of my brain that likes things to make sense, but I still waited a couple of months. Finally, I woke the starter, fed it for a week, and made a loaf. It was yummy! It didn't look perfect, but it didn't need to for our purposes.

What the letter said turned all the intense, exacting things upside down. It gave me the will to start again.

Now, I’ve made several loaves of very yummy bread and some blueberry sweet rolls and realize that sourdough is like life. We like to focus on the exacting parts because it makes us feel important and in control. In reality, the important thing is to keep our eyes on the essential things, and those things aren’t always the little exacting details.

My husband works in surgery, so, yes, details are critical for certain things. He makes the OR run smoothly! But for life in general, keeping our eyes on the essentials is all that matters.

Some people are rule followers. They like rules; perhaps rules make them feel safe. I love some people like this; they want things orderly but struggle to comprehend grace. Grace for mistakes, for others imperfection, for the difficulties of life in general. But as I watch this struggle, I think about sourdough and how my loaves may not look like the ones at the bakery, but I bet they taste just as good, if not better. And the most important thing is I didn’t have to stress about my loaves. I didn’t have to monitor a clock, measure with perfection, etc.

I wonder if those who focus on rules or orders instead of grace have more stress in life? I guess we could call these people perfectionists. Personally, I think these same people struggle to comprehend the grace God gives us. And I find that very sad.

Enjoy your loaf, even if it isn’t perfect. Beautifully imperfect.

Oh, and btw, my husband is great at the details in the OR but he is full of grace when it comes to life.