I was recently spending some quality time with my little cousin, Gigi.
She loves to cook, and she especially loves seafood boils. So I asked her if she wanted to learn how to make one.
She jumped at the chance.
Now, if you’ve ever made a seafood boil, you know the sauce is a big deal. The seafood matters, of course. The potatoes, corn, sausage, crab legs, shrimp, mussels, or whatever you choose to add all matter too. But that sauce?
That sauce can make the whole meal.
So while we were in the kitchen, I started walking her through the steps.
And immediately, the questions started.
“Does it have to have garlic?”
“Yes,” I told her. “Garlic and butter are what give the sauce that classic flavor.”
Then she looked at the onions.
“Does it have to have onions?”
“No,” I said, “but onions do add something special to the sauce.”
The more ingredients we added, the more skeptical she looked.
She wanted to know what was going to give the sauce that red color. So I pointed out the paprika and the Old Bay as I poured one spice after another into the pot.
She stirred.
But she still looked unsure.
I could tell she wasn’t buying it.
In her mind, this pot of butter, garlic, onions, seasonings, and spices did not yet look like the restaurant-style seafood boil sauce she had in mind.
And honestly, I get it.
Because in the beginning, it didn’t look like classic seafood boil sauce.
It looked like a bunch of random ingredients being thrown into a pot.
But after the sauce had been boiling for a while, I asked her to take a whiff and tell me what she thought.
She carefully lowered herself near a spoonful of sauce in the pot, and I saw the smallest smile creep across her face.
Then she said, “It does smell like it.”
I laughed and told her, “You see?! You gotta trust the process!”
By the time we finished the sauce, she told me it tasted “delicious.”
And when we finally sat down to eat, I laughed to myself again.
Because the same girl who had been side-eyeing me in the kitchen was now sitting at the table enjoying her seafood boil, and later going back for seconds.
And that’s when it hit me.
A lot of us are like that with God.
You’re asking Him for something.
And yet, the process He has you in may not look anything like what you thought it would look like.
You prayed for marriage, but God started working on your boundaries.
You prayed for a better job, but God allowed you to become uncomfortable where you are.
You prayed for healing, but God began exposing wounds you didn’t even realize were still affecting you.
You prayed for more, but God started teaching you stewardship with what you already have.
You prayed for a breakthrough, but first He started breaking down pride, fear, unforgiveness, insecurity, impatience, or the need to control everything.
And now you’re standing there looking at the “pot” of your life like my little cousin looked at that sauce.
Maybe even wondering, “Lord, are You sure?”
From where you’re standing, it may not look like what you asked for.
It may not smell, taste, or feel like it yet.
But sis, I need you to hear me:
You can trust God.
I know it doesn’t look the way you thought it would look, or appear to be what you’ve been praying for. I know that if it were up to you, you probably wouldn’t have done it this way.
But God is the Master Chef.
And He knows exactly what He’s doing.
That thing that looks unnecessary to you may be adding flavor.
That delay that frustrates you may be developing patience.
That closed door that hurt your feelings may be protecting your future.
That season of being hidden may be preparing you for what you couldn’t handle publicly yet.
That “no” may be making room for a better “yes.”
That uncomfortable pruning may be making you more fruitful.
Jesus said in John 15:2 that every branch that does bear fruit is pruned so it will be even more fruitful.
Did you catch that?
Pruning doesn’t always mean you did something wrong. Sometimes pruning is proof that God sees fruit in you and wants more fruit from you.
But pruning doesn’t feel good.
But sis, I want you to know that God isn’t careless with the knife.
He’s not cutting to destroy you. He’s cutting to develop you.
He’s preparing you for something greater than your comfort.
And that’s hard, because you don’t always get to see the finished product while you’re still in the middle of the process.
You see ingredients.
God sees the finished meal.
You see confusion.
God sees purpose.
You see delay.
God sees appointed timing.
That’s why Proverbs 3:5-6 tells you to trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding.
Your understanding is limited. Mine is too.
You can only see what’s in front of you. God sees the whole table.
You can only see today. God sees ten years from now.
You can only see the person who walked away. God sees who He’s protecting you from and who He may be preparing you for.
You can only see the job that didn’t call back. God sees the door that would’ve drained you, distracted you, or delayed you.
You can only see the prayer that hasn’t been answered yet. God sees the exact time, place, person, opportunity, and season connected to His will.
Over and over again, Scripture shows you that God’s process doesn’t always make sense in the middle.
But His faithfulness is never in question.
Romans 8:28 reminds you that God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
That doesn’t mean every ingredient feels good.
It doesn’t mean every season is easy.
It doesn’t mean every loss was okay.
It means God is able to take even the things that confused you, hurt you, stretched you, humbled you, and disappointed you, and work them together in a way only He can.
You may not understand why you’re still single when you’ve been praying, growing, serving, healing, and hoping.
But not understanding God’s method doesn’t mean you can’t trust His heart.
Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds you that God’s thoughts and ways are higher than yours.
That can be frustrating when you want answers.
But it’s also comforting. Because it means God isn’t limited to what you can figure out.
Yes, sometimes God takes longer than you expected.
But that doesn’t mean He’s late. It means He’s God.
So while you’re waiting, let Him work.
Let Him stir.
Let Him simmer.
Let Him prepare you.
Because one day, you may look back at this very season, the one that confused you and made you wonder if God really knew what He was doing, and realize He was answering your prayer in a way you didn’t recognize at first.
The waiting was part of the preparation.
The process was part of the promise.
And just like my little cousin eventually sat down and enjoyed the meal she had been skeptical about, you may one day sit in the middle of what God prepared and say, “Lord, You really did know what You were doing.”
Until then, trust the process.
So the next time you’re tempted to look at your life and say, “Lord, this doesn’t look like what I asked for,” take a deep breath and remember:
The sauce doesn’t always look finished in the beginning.
Some things have to be stirred. Some things have to simmer. And some things need time.
But with God, nothing is wasted.
Trust Him, sis. He knows exactly what He’s doing.
If this encouraged you, share it with another woman who’s trying to trust God in the middle of her process. And before you leave, take a moment to ask yourself: What part of my life am I struggling to trust God with right now? Write it down, pray over it, and remind yourself daily: God is still working, even when I don’t understand His recipe.
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