Don't Make Excuses...Make that Pizza!

Happy Feast of St. Denis and Companions!

A few weeks back, we didn't have much food in the house. I hadn't gone shopping for several days, and didn't really have the time to run out to the store and get groceries. In times like this, I usually turn to a tried-and-true dish: pizza. I love pizza; I grew up making it with my family, and it's an inexpensive, delicious, and easy go-to meal for Jacob and I.
But there was a problem: We didn't even have many pizza ingredients in the house.
Just one frozen chicken breast, a tiny bit of mozzarella cheese, pizza dough ingredients, and no tomato sauce. So what did we do? Improvisation time!

Our second go-around of white pizza: garlic sauce, tomatoes,
pepperoni, and chicken! 

We made white pizza for the first time ever. And it was epic. For whatever reason, we've never made white pizza before. Eaten it many times at restaurants (especially when I worked at a pizza buffet), but never ever brought it in the kitchen. And we've already made it a second time! It's seriously a fabulous dinner for those times when we don't have many ingredients at hand. That night, we took  our one piece of chicken, one ripe tomato, random herbs, made a white sauce, and voila-a large, delicious, awesome pizza! We adapt our white sauce from this recipe, and use our favorite honey-garlic-Italian herb crust. Then, we just throw on whatever random toppings we have lying around.

I've found that God likes to work in a similar way. We may see God moving us to do something, but we don't see how it can happen. "God, you've obviously got the wrong idea here, because I don't have the right tools. I don't have the resources. I'm not equipped." And so on. Just take a look at the Old Testament prophets; they all gave plenty of excuses.

The word of the LORD came to me:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you,

a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

 “Ah, Lord GOD!” I said, “I do not know how to speak. I am too young!”^*

But the LORD answered me,

Do not say, “I am too young.”

To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak.

(Jeremiah 1:4-7)

When you actually listen to God, stop making excuses, and let Him work, crazy and epic things happen. If we had let a lack of tomato sauce and "proper" ingredients stop us that one night, we never would have discovered the beauty of homemade white pizza. If you make excuses and try to tell God that you can't do what He has planned for you, then how are you to discover the epic things He has in store for you?