Spiritual Cookbook

A Chef's Guide to the Divine PrincipleSteam fogs up the windows, pots of curry and rice boil, sweat covers my face, pieces of garlic dig into my nails, bottles of seasoning clutter the counter…and I shake in too much spice. The result: extra spicy curry with a hint of…that’s right, spiciness. My housemates add salt, yogurt, water, soy sauce to their plates—anything to water down the flavors of all the spices I put in.Sometimes, cooking a meal doesn’t always go according to plan, yet all the times I’ve messed up have taught me valuable lessons. To me, cooking a meal is a microcosm of what it’s like to be a Creator.Take Life by the Pot HandlesI love cooking. It’s a direct result of my hard work, creativity and the unique combination of the right ingredients, equipment and chemistry. It’s a reflection of myself—I have the power to create something amazing.I can’t lie though; sometimes I just don’t wanna cook.Often we don’t want to do what we know is the right thing to do (clean the house, maintain the car, mow the lawn, pick up litter, get to know a new colleague) because of fear or laziness. I’m guilty as charged. Even though we have all the tools (cleaning spray, coolant, lawn mower, a compassionate heart) in front of us, we need to access the creative energy inside us that yearns for movement, growth and innovation, and trumps procrastination.When I give it my all even when I don’t feel like it, I feel God can work more easily in my life. Father Moon explained that, “in order for an individual to perfect his character, his or her mind and body need to become one through give and take action with God as their center. Such individuals become the temples of God, achieve complete oneness with Him, and acquire a divine nature,” (Divine Principle, Ch. 1 Sec. 3.2). Based on this insight, we would feel even closer to God when we manage to jump the hurdles and do what our hearts tell us.We All Have a Portion of ResponsibilityFather Moon described our “portion of responsibility” as maturing ourselves through the three blessings and guiding and encouraging others to do the same.Based on this insight, God isn’t going to whisk us into shape and solve our problems without us doing something about them ourselves. If we take a step forward and are willing to meet halfway, God has a lot more momentum to work with. Likewise, can God fully solve the world’s problems without our help? Father Moon specified that, symbolically, our portion of responsibility is 5% and God’s is 95%. The numbers are arbitrary—they could be 11% and 89%; it just goes to show how out relative parts compare. Most importantly: our 5% requires the whole 100% of our effort.Just like I’m determined to make a delicious meal for my household, I think God is determined to make all His children happy. Regardless of who makes dinner, someone needs to get the groceries, look up a recipe and chop the veggies. If God is striving to work in our lives, wouldn’t He need us to be on board?My Portion of CreativityCooking has taught me that my portion of responsibility is to allow God and me to be co-creators. Father Moon spoke to this when he said:“God gave human beings a portion of responsibility as the condition based on which He could love them more than any other being in creation. God’s intention in giving this condition was to make them worthy to be the lords of creation by having them take after His creative nature,” (The World Scriptures, 585).We can overcome the occasional grudging feelings of making dinner knowing that the product of our creativity is for someone else’s enjoyment, just like I imagine God feels joy when we appreciate His creation. Nothing is as satisfying as when my housemates ogle over the fresh batch of muffins I’m making, drool at the chili I’m stirring or compliment me on my roast chicken!When All Else Fails, Follow That Recipe!When we’re unsure of what to do, we have the highest source of guidance at our fingertips—the cookbook! Likewise, no matter how much we busy ourselves with good work, we all crave to be anchored in God, to be grounded in the simple love and guidance that can only come from our Heavenly Parent. Part of our responsibility as human beings is to simply connect with our Creator.When all is chopped and fried, all we can do is our best—the rest is up to chemistry…and God.