There are bakers and there are bakers. By this, I mean there are people who find a great recipe, follow it meticulously, and create a masterpiece, and there are people who whip things up in the kitchen using some sort of magic and also create a masterpiece. Some people intuitively understand how ingredients work. The rest of us, need someone to guide us through the process. The mystery lies in the gap. Observing the patterns, order, and procedures for baking is one way to begin to bridge the gap, but until a person truly seeks understanding through instruction, study, and practice, a jump will still be required.
The patterns and procedures that work together to make bread rise, cookies sweet, and pastries fluff, were built into creation by God Himself. He put that order there and He gave us those patterns to hint at the relationships behind the result. The struggle occurs when we fail to see it. How do we learn to look past the obvious and truly understand what's happening behind the scenes? How do we leverage the power of creation?
Here are a few things to get us started on our journey from apprentice to master:
- See with your eyes : Truly look. Pay attention to the patterns that you see all around you. They were put there by the God who made the magic. Practice observing and looking for His patterns in all areas, not just the one area you happen to like.
- Learn from the masters : So you need a recipe. Big deal, so didn't every chef who came before you. Are you studying the recipes well enough to observe the patterns, learn how they work, and tweak them?
- Guess : Guessing is a technique that students are very nervous to try, but it's at the base for almost every great discovery ever made. Great mathematicians discovered theorems by guessing and playing with the results. Great foods, like pizza, came about by guessing and...
- Persevere : You won't be an overnight success. It takes time. Sometimes we see things that aren't there and other times we don't see or know enough to master. So we repeat the process, we pay attention, ask a master, guess, and try again.
This process takes time and can be applied to most everything we try in life. Want to master a new hobby, job, or pastime? Chances are you'll need to work your way through this process. Start by seeing what you can see, just like the bear who climbed over the mountain, and enjoy your journey!