Rice Done Right

It so happened that the day after I finally figured out how to avoid snarky imperfections in my breakfast rice, Dennis, lover of history, science, and odd facts, told me about how Kim Jong Un's rice is prepared. Who'd a thunk a dictator's demand for perfection would confirm what I had just figured out? Let me backtrack a little ...

Marrying Dennis opened up a whole new world to me—namely the unique likes and idiosyncrasies of all things Southern. Until then, I had no idea that white rice was "a thing" for breakfast. Who knew you could add butter and sugar to white rice and end up with, not a dessert, but an actual meal? Now, I fix it for him upon request. His fondness for it tempted me to give it a whirl; however, while it does have a pleasant taste, I find I prefer a more non-Southern breakfast.

Although I give it my best, sometimes I still forget to screen the rice. That's when some brownish, grey, and black blemishes mar the presentation of the delectable confection. Screening the rice produced great results—but once was not enough. Every single time you make the rice it must be screened. Perfect rice means dedication to continual, never-ending screening.

Needless to say, I would not make it as one of Kim Jong Un's cooks. His rice is a work of art, always painstakingly screened before preparation so that not even a hint of imperfection remains. Every single grain is vetted to the standard he expects: absolute congruity of shape and size, as well as no hint of brown or black abnormalities.

Perfection ... hmm ... can't help but make a connection between rice integrity and the state of our heart. On His sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Be ye perfect ... as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). With these few words He raised the bar from the Old Testament requisites. No longer was outward compliance to God's rules enough. Now even the snarky thoughts, the inward rolling of the eyes—all those things we try to hide from the people around us—are fodder for judgement.

It shook Jesus' hearers. Who could comply with such impossible standards? But if they'd stepped back and mulled it over a bit, they would have realized that this wasn't a new thing. Way back in Old Testament times, when the Psalmist wrote, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:24), he was giving us a peek into God's heart. Even in the days of rites and rituals, those who coveted a closer walk with God knew that He yearned for a perfect dish of rice—a love for Him that went beyond mere outer show. In their heart of hearts they realized that to know Him was to have hearts tuned to His standard of perfection, unblemished by even the tiniest hint of sin.

Jesus was pointing out what had always been the heart of God, as well as ushering in the fulfillment of Ezequiel 36:26, God's promise to give His people a heart of flesh for a heart of stone, a soft heart able to yield to the Master in every way. And He was providing a road to that goal via Himself. Excellent perfection can't be reached by human effort alone. It takes the help of God, our Master Chef.

A missionary I worked with, very staid and conservative, an indisputably excellent model of the Christian walk, surprised me when he admitted, "You can poke my eyes out, but I'll still have a good imagination!" He was referencing a pretty girl. The others in the car chuckled while Pollyanna me was taken aback, startled by his forthrightness. Yet he only spoke the truth.

Even if we punish our bodies into outward submission, our mind can still dwell on things it shouldn't ... This being so, who can ever hope to attain purity of heart? Thank God for the hope given us by Paul's wonderful words: "But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57). Our older Brother is ever at the ready to help us with what we can't attain on our own.

My Auntie Trinie was accosted by an angry pastor once and accused of many horrible things of which she was truly innocent. The pastor was a man she had always highly esteemed; these rank accusations threw her in a tizzy, all but devastating her. They threw a pall over all she believed and had worked for all her life. She came home, knelt by her bed, and cried out to God, "Lord, is it even possible to live a holy life?" For the second time in her life she heard the audible voice of God. He answered her, "Yes, for him who desires it." Peace flowed over her. Pureness of heart may take effort, but, with God, it is possible.

Let's strive for the best rice—the purest heart—ever. How? By being a better believer than I am a screener of rice. Instead of being on and off again, let's be consistent, always following the Biblical injunction to screen, screen, screen our wanting-to-be-wayward heart.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Corinthians 13:5).