The Potato Flake
Growing up, I was the little girl who loved instant potatoes! I didn’t care much for the homemade version. In fact, all I needed along with the buttery creaminess was some of my mother’s delicious gravy on top. While eating my favorite dish, I would sit quietly at the kitchen table for a period of time in a culinary bliss, much to Momma’s surprised delight. Hence, the reason she made sure we never ran out of this convenient grocery item.
Now that I’m a grown woman, I very seldom eat instant potatoes. Hmmmm…well, except when I make those occasionally visits to KFC. Ironically, instant mashed potatoes have taken on a more spiritual meaning for me. How so, you may wonder? Well, allow me to explain. One evening I was feeling overwhelmed about a situation beyond my physical control. While I prayed, the Holy Spirit told me to walk outside of my apartment and look up at the sky. Once outside, I momentarily became mesmerized by the moving, thin, cotton-like clouds. That’s when the Lord said, “Look up, as far left as you can; then do the same for the right.” I obediently followed His instructions. Afterwards, I centered my head forward. I continued to look at the sky in front of and behind me. It was in this moment that I remembered Acts 7:49 KJV, which says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? Says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?” Wow…if this passage doesn’t blow your mind about how mighty God is, I don’t know what will!
Okay, what does all this have to do with instant potatoes? I’m glad you asked! The above scripture tells us that the Lord is so great that our entire planet serves as His footstool. Personally, I think it’s only big enough to rest one of his feet on, but we can discuss that at another time. Here’s when I got to thinking. If He is that big, than just how small would the sky be that I am looking at in comparison to Him? While pondering this question, out of nowhere, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “It would be like a potato flake inside your hand.” Yes, my friend, you read right…like an individual potato flake.
Who knew it would take one of my favorite childhood foods to teach me about the greatness of the Almighty Creator.
Now, imagine placing an individual potato flake in the palm of your hand. That tiny participle would represent the piece of sky currently above your head. That, Beloved, is how small our world is to the King of Kings. I had to ask myself, “If a potato flake is symbolic to a piece of heaven and my hand is indicative to the Hand of God, then why is my problem so overwhelming to me? It shouldn’t be really. Not if I place it in the capable hands of the Eternal Ruler.” Now, you talk about putting a “so-called” problem in its proper prospective.
When we think about it like that, that formerly heart wrenching issue concerning your child shrinks down to the size of a potato flake. I understand that bills are piling up like a stack of unwashed laundry. Even still, those expenses are like a potato flake in the hands of our Faithful Way Maker. Is that supervisor with the multiple personality disorder making your life miserable on that job? Let me give you some friendly advice. You can’t fix that problem on your own. Trust me, I had to learn that lesson the hard way. You are going to have to visualize a potato flake and remind yourself just how big our God truly is. I don’t care what you’re facing today, Dear Heart. Raise your head and look up! Never forget, as long as God is still on the throne, no problem is too great. For when we completely give it to the Architect of Life, it instantly becomes as small and simple as a single potato flake.
