Never Too Old to Bake a Blessing: the story of Grandma Muffin

muffinsWe all tend to think bigger is better. There is a drive to get more followers on social media, more friends, a larger influence, etc. But what if that’s not really God’s way but the world’s way? What if people just let go of trying to one-up each other all the time and just focused on the small things that God puts right in front of them? The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, one of the smallest of seeds, and yet when planted, it grows into a tree that can be as big as an Oak Tree! Perhaps we should rethink things.

One older lady certainly did. An 83-year old woman lived in a pretty bad part of town, and longed to make a difference. But she felt too old. She prayed the Lord’s Prayer often for the kids she saw fighting at the bus stop, feeling a bit helpless. Until one day she felt God impress on her that she should simply do something…

“What can I do?” She thought to herself. Then an idea popped into her head: “I can bake muffins!” She was good at that, and began baking muffins every morning, and brought them out to the middle and high school kids waiting at the school bus stop. She handed out the homemade muffins and the kids were grateful. Some probably didn’t have breakfast, so this was a blessing.

She just continued to bake muffins and brought them out to the kids every day with no expectations other than to feed them. Pretty soon the kids stopped fighting as much. They looked forward to her muffins every day. She began earning their trust and friendship. She became known as Grandma Muffin, and kids thought she was so kind.

Grandma Muffin was trustworthy and the kids began hanging out at her apartment, a fairly run down building (due to the kids vandalizing it). But once they got to know Grandma Muffin, the vandalism stopped. This impressed the management team at the apartment complex because their maintenance costs were reduced. They told her if she kept on baking muffins, they’d let her live there rent-free! So she did.

The kids began to hear stories of Jesus by Grandma Muffin and their lives began to change so much that the local church invited her to consider becoming the Youth Pastor due to her influence on the kids in the community. So she did.

grandma-hands

Today, she’s living happily rent-free and serving the local church in the youth ministry, baking blessings right into the hearts of these kids’ lives. What started out as a desperate prayer, as she watched kids fight daily at the bus stop, turned out to become a muffin ministry that God baked into one of the biggest blessings of Grandma Muffin’s life!

Just remember, God can take the small things we do in love and make them grow into something the size of an Oak Tree, with shade people can rest in and roots that go deep. Be counter-cultural—do a small thing faithfully for Christ, and watch Him make it grow! Share on X

Grandma Muffin is a real lady in real circumstances as told to me by Pastor Greg Owens of Communitas Church in Kansas City, Missouri.

2 Comments

  1. Kathryn October 16, 2016
    • LisaQAuthor October 17, 2016