Mom had a huge family, especially to my 11-year-old eyes. So when she decided to hold a family reunion at our house there was a lot to be done. My 12-year-old brother, 9-yearold sister and I had to pitch in.
“There are four loaves of bread in the oven,” Mom said as she and Dad got ready to go into town for last-minute supplies. “Do not start playing and forget to check on them. Take them out when they’re a nice golden brown. If you burn that bread, you’re all in big trouble. It has to be perfect.”
We all promised. We knew how important the family bread recipe was.
Richard, Lucia and I settled on the couch to wait. And wait. Finally we decided to wait outside. Surely a little playing to pass the time wouldn’t hurt.
Well, we lost track of how much time had passed until I smelled something burning. “The bread!” I screamed. “We forgot about Mom’s bread!”
We rushed inside and held our breath as Richard opened the oven door. There was the bread, black and smoking. Richard slammed the door shut. We couldn’t bear to look at it.
“What are we going to do?” I cried. I was literally wringing my hands.
“Mom says all things are possible with God,” Lucia piped up. “Let’s pray.”
We all put a hand on the warm oven door and bowed our heads. “God, please heal Mom’s bread to a light golden brown like she told us,” I said.
“If you don’t we’ll be in big trouble!” added Richard.
“In Jesus’ name, amen,” Lucia said.
Tentatively, Richard opened the oven door again. Four golden-brown loaves! We couldn’t believe it. They were perfect.
“Where’d you get the recipe for this bread?” one of Mom’s sisters asked the next day. “It’s delicious!”
“It’s the same recipe we’ve all used for years,” Mom said with a laugh.
“No, this definitely tastes different,” her brother said. “It’s the best bread I’ve ever had!”
Everyone agreed. Finally we kids brought Mom into the kitchen and explained just why the bread tasted so good. It had a special ingredient–answered prayers!
Download your FREE ebook, A Prayer for Every Need, by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.
