Speckled Bananas

Each year before the fall comes, we get our propane fireplace cleaned and serviced.
The logs are removed and cleaned.
The gas jets are checked and cleaned.
The fireplace is turned on to make sure everything is working properly.

I enjoy scheduling that maintenance appointment.
Scheduling that appointment assures me that cold weather is on the way.
I love cold weather.
I equate turning on the fireplace with cozy nights by the fire, reading, and relaxing.

I was to be the first appointment for the day.
I walked earlier in the morning so I would be back in time for the technician.
He was a little later than expected so I decided to bake something.
Deciding what to bake was not difficult.

I do not like speckled bananas.
I like bananas with a tinge of green.
I do not want to eat them if they have spots.
Speckled bananas are too soft and mushy for my taste.

Four speckled bananas were left in the bowl.
I did not want them to go to waste.
I decided to bake banana bread.
I pulled out the Kitchen Aid mixer from the corner of the counter and went to work.

I know the recipe by heart.
I make banana bread for the women who come to Bible study.
I make banana bread for friends when they come over for tea.
I was making this banana bread for no reason except that I did not want to waste bananas.

I could already smell the banana bread in my mind.
I knew that the house would smell wonderful as the bread was baking.
I knew the delicious smell would permeate every nook and cranny of my house.
That wonderful smell is always so welcoming.

The technician knocked on my front laundry room door.
Most people knock at the main front door.
I offered the kitchen door as an alternative.
I was closer to his van and an easier access for the things he needed to bring inside.

He walked in through the laundry room and out through the kitchen.
He came back a few minutes later with a large shop vac, some tools, and a drop cloth.
He walked into the kitchen and said, Boy, that smells really good!
Thank you, I said, I’m making banana bread.

Oh, banana bread, the young man said.
My sister makes the best banana bread and zucchini bread.
He stood in my kitchen and took a large whiff of banana bread.
He walked into the family room to get to work.

As he was vacuuming all the pieces, the oven buzzer dinged.
The banana bread was done.
I took the loaf pan out of the oven.
I put it on a rack to cool.

The smell wafted into every nook and cranny as I expected.
That smells really good, he said again from the family room.
I knew what I would do.
I waited a few minutes to cut the banana bread so the warm loaf would not crumble.

I cut three generous slices and wrapped them in some tin foil.
By this time, the technician was cleaning the glass before he put it back on the fireplace.
I walked in to double check the amount I owed him so I could write a check.
By the way, I wrapped up three slices of banana bread for you, I told him.

Oh, wow, thank you, he said.
I forgot my lunch today so that bread will come in handy, he admitted.
I’m so glad, I said, amazed at God’s prompting and perfect timing.
It’s here in the kitchen for you, I added.

 Then the king will say to those on his right, “Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” Then the people who have God’s approval will reply to him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” The king will answer them, “I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:34-40)

The littlest thing matters to God.
Three slices of just-out-of-the-oven banana bread mattered to the technician.
I did not know that he forgot his lunch.
God did.

I love the way God does that.
God cares about the tiniest detail.
God uses us to bless someone else.
What a privilege it is to be used by him.

The technician brought all of his equipment back to his van.
He had to come back in to give me the invoice and get his drop cloth.
I saw him look towards the kitchen island at the slices of banana bread wrapped in tin foil.
Here you go, I said handing them to him.

Thank you, he said.
You know, I’m not supposed to take any gifts from customers but I guess this is OK.
Don’t consider it a gift, I said to him.
Consider it sustenance, I added with a smile.

Sounds good, he said as he walked out my kitchen door towards his van.
I’m really going to enjoy this, he said as he walked away.
God knew that a technician would forget his lunch.
God knew what I would do with speckled bananas.