This last weekend we heard truly astonishing talks from our leaders. Their insights, wisdom, and compassion radiated from their loving faces. I felt a bit like a kid in a candy shop—okay, my grown self in a candy shop—wanting to eat up everything in sight!
Elder Brook P. Hales, Secretary to the First Presidency, explained that “Mortality Works,” and gave examples of how we are tested, but that “we are not destined to fail.” At one point he mentioned that we are being proven.
Yes, that made me think of the Great British Baking Show (here I am, thinking of goodies again), and how the bakers on that popular show often place their dough in the “proving drawer.”
What happens in there? The proving drawer is often under the oven, in that lovely space where many of us in the U.S. store roasting pans. It maintains humidity and keeps the dough warmer than it would be on the counter. This activates the yeast and helps the dough rise more quickly. (1)
I don’t know how you feel about being warmer than is comfortable, but I’m at the age where I experiment with the A/C, turn on window units, and run electric fans to keep from dissolving into a sweaty heap on the floor. I have blogged about prohibiting women like me from visiting—and melting—the ice caps.
Thus, I appreciated the idea that when adversity mounts—did I say adversity? I meant absurdity. Okay, when both of those mount, it feels like we’re stuck in a proving drawer. We are quite literally on the hot seat and as one trial after another rolls in, we struggle to maintain our cool. We know life is supposed to contain hardships, but seriously? We begin to wonder if we are getting a lion’s share of the trouble mortality offers.
I know so many people with harrowing problems. You do, too. And you may be one of them! What do we do when this happens? We keep what wits we can about us, and see it for the proving drawer it is. God is watching to see if we’re learning those vital lessons that prepare us for Heaven. Do we turn towards Him for help? Do we remember the truths we know and have held dear? Do we see a virtue we need to develop that we haven’t conquered so far? When we’re in a slump, do we serve others to pull us out of it?
These are the moments when we’re “in the game.” This is when we show our character and our faith. Will we stay obedient and believe in God’s promises and His timing? Or will we slump like soggy bread dough?
Will we stay on the Covenant Path and hold to the Iron Rod? How much would it take to knock us off there? I hope nothing can do that, not to any of us.
I say we rise. I say we take a breath, look at the situation, get a Priesthood blessing, fast, and pray. And then hold firm. Finally, like a loaf of rich flavor, a golden crust, and a velvety texture, we use that proving drawer to make us better. More qualified for the kingdom, more of use would I be.
Life isn’t always comfortable; it was never designed to be. Sometimes it’s our turn to take the heat, so let’s help one another along the way, prove ourselves and rise, becoming all we were truly meant to be.
- You can turn your oven into a proving cabinet by placing a bowl of 3 cups of boiling water on a bottom rack, then placing your bread (in its pan) on a rack above it, and closing the door. Leave your bread in until the dough doubles in size. Replenish boiling water as necessary.
Joni Hilton is a Latter-day Saint author, Seminary teacher, and shares life hacks at https://m.youtube.com/c/jonihilton. Her novel, Golden, is now an Amazon audiobook.
