I love rolls. There is something wonderful about a fresh, homemade roll warm from the oven. My mom was the best at making rolls and we loved to help her make lots of them for Thanksgiving. Our kitchen would be covered in flour and our tummies full of dough. We would bake for hours to have enough. I was reminded of this memory when I was reading in Galatians 5:9 about how it only takes a little leaven to raise the whole batch. It struck me because the yeast in my mothers rolls made all of the difference. If the kitchen was too cold or the water too hot, the yeast would not work right and if the yeast didn't work, then you had dense rolls that no one wanted to eat. The best part about rolls is how light and fluffy they are. I can't imagine rolls without yeast to make them rise. It is a small ingredient but very important to the success of the batch. I know there wouldn't have been as much excitement for a little solid hard roll. They are just not the same without the yeast to make them light and fluffy. It made me start to wonder about how often we don't add the leaven in our lives. When we don't take the time to add the ingredient that will raise our life and make it light and fluffy. The little things that makes our souls expand and life be lighter, better. I believe the leaven in our lives is added when we are good examples of the truth we know. When we follow the example of Jesus Christ we are adding the leaven to our life. If we believe in Jesus Christ then we need to add our example of Him to our life, so we can be raised and those around us can be raised as well. Like the scripture said, " a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump". We too can elevate those around us by trying to live lives full of service to our fellow men and sharing the truth we know. Recently I made a batch of rolls to share. I made one batch with yeast and the other without. I put both batches in a basket and set them out on the table. No one picked the roll without yeast. I pointed out to the kids that no one had picked the little hard rolls. I explained, they were made exactly the same. There was just one ingredient missing in the little hard ones. I told them about the yeast and how it is needed to raise the dough. I also told them about how important it is for them to be the yeast in the world. No one wants to live a life hard and small like the roll that had no yeast. I told them they could do big things and have a positive effect on those around them if they are an example, like the leaven so to speak, in a world where hearts are hard. Try this experiment yourself. Share kindness and see if the mood of everyone around you raises. Enjoy!
