“Long vision is multivariable calculus. It’s the big decisions in life that have a domino effect. We only make a few major decisions in life. . . . But it’s small acts of obedience — words of encouragement and acts of kindness — that get baked into other people’s lives.”- Mark Batterson
“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.”- Matthe 1:1-2 (NIV)
In Part 2 (“Long Obedience”) of Gradually Then Suddenly, Mark Batterson opens with the story of the Boudin Bakery in San Francisco. It’s the city’s oldest continuously operating business. And it even survived the 1906 earthquake! Back in 1849, Boudin combined his French mother dough with yeast from the Bay Area. Most significantly, the foggy microclimate produced the yeast’s inimitable taste.
Furthermore, sourdough starter lives forever. But, Mark notes, there’s something even more fascinating. When a baker kneads the dough, the process bakes traces of their DNA into the bread. As a result, every loaf contains Boudin’s fingerprints on it. Therefore, Pastor Batterson adds:
“What’s true of bread is true of people. All of us are born into somebody else’s story. Their understories get baked into our overstories. . . . There are countless people . . . who left their fingerprints on your soul. You wouldn’t be who you are without their influence in your life, but they wouldn’t be who they are without the people who influenced them.”
In conclusion, Mark shares seven life lessons from Matthew’s genealogy:
- It’s not about us!
- You never know who is in your womb.
- All of us are born into someone else’s story.
- We drink from wells we did not dig.
- God is bigger than generational curses.
- We overestimate what we can accomplish in one generation, but we underestimate what God can accomplish in three or four.
- God is always writing a bigger story!
Today’s question: What small acts of obedience of yours get baked into other people’s lives? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Tamarisk trees – resilient”