Meditation Metaphor: Give Us This Day Our Daily Oatmeal

1934 Quaker Oats ad

I've been eating oatmeal for breakfast every day since 1993.  On average I miss maybe once morning per month in pursuing the Oat.

I remember the beginning of my oatmeal marathon because 1993 was when I started going to a new doctor, who told me I needed to do something to control my cholesterol level, and asked me, "Do you like oatmeal?"

Let me tell you:  My "yes" answer to that question was really put to test by the subsequent 6,685 servings of oatmeal.

I quickly became a student of all the different ways oatmeal can be made, and all the various ingredients that can be added to a bowl of oats.  I read somewhere that the way to find new and unique ideas for oatmeal is to look for oatmeal cookie recipes.  If it can be put into an oatmeal cookie, it can be put into oatmeal.

In theory.  Peanut butter didn't work well.  Chocolate (syrup, chips, powder, etc) also just didn't taste right in a bowl of oatmeal - although white chocolate chips mixed with dried cranberries was surprisingly good.

Some suggestions I've not yet been brave enough to try include parmesan cheese and a mixture of cottage cheese, pears, Splenda and ginger.

But many things were a success:  Raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla, walnuts, almonds, pecans, peaches, coconut, apples, applesauce, wheat bran, maple syrup, pumpkin pie mix, blueberries, mashed up over-ripe bananas, crumbled up banana bread (or date nut bread, zucchini bread, gingerbread, etcetera-bread), yogurt (various flavors), honey, coffee (liquid), coffee creamer (various flavors), apple butter, granola, and all sorts of crumbled up cold cereals.

But on most mornings I'm not energetic enough to get that creative, so I settle for the basic daily additives:  raisins (I put raisins in my oatmeal no matter what else I'm adding), cinnamon and Splenda.

Truth be told, though, real trick to good oatmeal is the making of the oatmeal itself.  There are some basic non-negotiable rules I live by for oatmeal preparation:

• Always use the old-fashioned whole oats.  Not the "quick" oats, that are tiny little parts of the oats.  And most definitely not microwave oats, which are made from tiny little parts of construction paper.  I used to insist on genuine Quaker brand old-fashioned oats, but I've learned that the cheaper store brands are just as good, as long as it's whole oats.
  
• Measure out the appropriate amount of oats and water into a pan and set to slowly heat to a boil.  I set  my stove burner between 5 and 6, on a scale of 10.  I also add a splash of milk for a more creamy texture.
  
• While it's building up toward boiling, I add whatever ingredients I'm tossing in - raisins plus whatever else I've decided on that day.
  
• When it begins to boil I turn off the burner control and let it continue to cook for about a minute, and then dump it into a bowl sometime after it moves from mostly liquid consistency and begins to set up, and before it sets up so much that I'll have to throw the pan away.
  
• Once it's in the bowl, add a little milk to cool it down and slightly thin it out.

The slowness of the cooking is the most important part of the process.  As the oats soak slowly in the warming water and milk, the grain transforms into a palatable texture and absorbs the flavors of the spices and other added ingredients.  Cook it too fast (or too slow) and the consistency will be wrong and the blending of the add-ons will be wrong.

Meditation Metaphor

Cooking oatmeal is like meditating on the Word.

• Meditate on the whole Word, not just bits and pieces and by-products.  Reading your daily devotional or just a verse here or there is like trying to make oatmeal out of Quick Oats.  It's sort of like meditating on the Word, but not nearly as satisfying or nutritious.  And reading books or blogs  about the Bible is like eating mass-produced oatmeal-flavored cookies
  
  
• Just like the oats have to be cooked slowly (but not too slowly), speed-reading through the Bible has some benefit, but its not as beneficial as taking your time, reading it slowly enough to let it soak in, to contemplate what it means, to let it become part of you.
  
  
• And just like you don't want to overcook your oats into a gelatinous mass, always remember that God has a mission for you beyond the written Word.  Once you've let it simmer in your pot awhile, you need to go out and Be the Word in the world.
  
  
• Find a version to read that delivers the maximum amount and flavor of the Biblical author's original intended message.  Study Bibles and paraphrases (The Message, New Living Translation) have their purpose, but they're akin to letting the cottage cheese, pears, Splenda and ginger overwhelm the great flavor of God's good oats.