A Butter Tart in My Hand by Michelle Strutzenberger

This month’s prompt drops me back to my years after high school when I was peering into the mist of adulthood. Eager to start on the next adventure of my life, I constantly sought the Lord’s will for all the big questions: Who should I marry? What should I do for my career? Where should I live?

But while studying the story of Moses and his staff, I was convicted to pull back from anguishing about those vast, often overwhelming questions. Instead, I found myself encouraged to focus on this question: What do you have in your hand right now?

I worked then as a packer in a butter tart factory in Chilliwack, B.C. The item literally most often in my hand at the time was a sweet, moist, delicious dessert – a butter tart. The Lord worked in my heart to understand that He could use even a simple butter tart as I surrendered myself, my dreams, my yearnings, and my desire to “get on with life,” to Him.

By the Holy Spirit’s leading, I found myself asking two main questions as I headed to my job in the factory each day: 

How can I be a witness to my fellow workers today as we bake and wrap and box those butter tarts together? 

How can I be a blessing to my fellow workers?

Years later, I have moved on from that job. The contents in my hand have changed. Today, I carry a few different items as I teach, write, and raise my family – a bottle of water, a well-scribbled planner, a phone with regular reminders to pray. Yet the questions I ask myself each morning as I drink my coffee, zip on my shoes and head into work are much the same as they were decades ago:

Lord, how can I be a living witness for you today?

In what specific ways can I be a blessing to whomever I cross paths with?

With Moses, God accomplished great miracles using his staff. While He never transformed my butter tart into a snake or my planner into a serpent, I am trusting that He can and will use every small act of obedience for His glory and the blessing of others.

Michelle and her family enjoy hiking mountains and trails together. She is currently writing a series  called, What Growing Up in a Mennonite Family of 10 Taught Me About Survival. To receive the bi-weekly tips, visit this link and subscribe.