And the oven? I put a thermometer in there and told it to heat up to 220. It preheated up to 278, and then dropped to 176 before it turned back on, heating itself back up to 260 before kicking off again! No wonder my Thanksgiving dinner was a bit off. The apple pie, which looked gorgeous on top, had a completely raw bottom crust. That has never happened to me in nearly 50 years! This thing had to go!
So we talked to our wonderful appliance store brothers (church family, that is) and were told that even the new coil tops had that awful "safety feature" and they no longer recommended them. It seemed that the only choice that was really a choice was either gas or induction. Down here in Florida, gas stoves heat up the kitchen way too much. And then there is all that political nonsense going on about them too. So we opted for the induction.
The first thing we found out when they gave us a magnet to take home to test all of our cookware, was that we had to chuck practically every item in the cabinet and buy a completely new set—which raised the already too expensive price of the range even more.
Then the oven came—three weeks later! (The microwave still hasn't shown up.) The young men who delivered it, gave a quick rundown of how it worked and I thought, "Well, that's not bad." Then I sat down and read the manual and nearly cried I was so overwhelmed. I would have to learn to cook all over again, and a lot of hard-earned knowledge would be useless. Well, it's been a few weeks now and I am doing better, but it's not easy to have to cook with a user's manual in one hand and a recipe in the other. Then after dinner I must make copious notes on each recipe. But maybe by next Thanksgiving I will be able to bake a decent apple pie again.
My husband has been very patient as I learn. No complaints if something is a little over done or takes longer than expected. He knows what I am dealing with and he knows that at our ages, change and learning new things is much more difficult.
Sometimes we forget that with our new brothers and sisters. It seems the baptistery waters have hardly stopped sloshing when we expect them to know things automatically. Too many times a Bible class teacher will say something like, "We won't go over that part because we all know it." (I have had new converts complain about this—they feel purposely left in the dark.) And we expect their usual behavior to change immediately as if a switch has been turned on. It doesn't work like that. How long did it take me to learn what I know? And if I hadn't been raised to know what not to do, how long would it take me to break a bad habit? Even Heb 5:12 says that these things are learned by "constant practice." Just how long is "constant?" Longer than some of us seem to think.
Let no man despise your youth, 1 Tim 4:12, Paul told Timothy. He might have meant his chronological age in that passage, but tell me it cannot apply to a Christian age too. Think about all those passages about children in the gospels. See that you despise not one of these little ones…, Matt 18:18. When Jesus spoke these words, he also said, But whoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea (Matt 18:6). Did you notice that" "One of these little ones who believe." "Children" is simply a metaphor for newer believers.
Sometimes new Christians catch on easily. Maybe they had a good family with good morals when they were growing up. But some did not. Some are making changes as large as night and day. Some never held a Bible in their lives until they ran into a Christian who taught them. Remember the last time you had to learn something brand new. Be as patient as you expected others to be with you. Computers, smart phones, and now this induction range are all big changes for me, things I am not a natural at and have to work hard to use. But my children and my husband are patiently teaching and helping.
Don't give up on the babes. If you find it difficult to be patient, just think about that millstone. While they are learning the basics, you can learn a little longsuffering. Perhaps that is a brand new concept for you!
Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, unto edifying. For Christ also pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell upon me (Rom 15:1-3).
Dene Ward