Orgreenic

Not too long ago, someone gave me an "Orgreenic" pan.  My benevolent patron raved about its non-stick surface that requires little to no butter or oil while cooking.  And while I would love to say my first Orgreenic cooking venture was was a tremendous success...

My new pan did not live up to my expectations.

I had envisioned two over-easy eggs sliding merrily onto my favorite breakfast plate.  Instead, I found myself salvaging what mangled eggs I could and scrubbing the rest off my "non-stick" pan.  In short:  It was an epic fail.

Now before you scold me about needing to "season" Orgreenic cookware before using it, please rest assured that I did.  (How does one season a pan? Coat the green surface with vegetable oil and keep it on medium to high heat until it starts to smoke. Then let it cool completely and wipe it with a paper towel, and it's ready to go. ...allegedly.)

Maybe I used the wrong oil.  Maybe I didn't let it smoke to the proper level.  But whatever happened, my pan didn't make it to non-stick status.

I was really disappointed.  The pan is totally usable, but it wasn't very "Orgreenic."  And that's what I was so excited about.  That special quality that made it different from other, ordinary pans.

And as I was scrubbing off that first pathetic attempt at an egg, I realized something:  I have something in common with my new pan. 

I've been messing up.  Missing the mark in a few areas that I didn't struggle with in the past.  Where once I confidently produced eggs perfectly over easy, I've been scraping away nothing more than a scrambled, mangled mess.  Somehow I lost my non-sticky-ness.  (In one area in particular, it scared me to admit just how bad things had become.)  Not Orgreenic at all.

Conviction chooses the strangest time to surface, doesn't it?

So now what?

I wrote the first part of this post a few weeks ago.  After drafting the story of the messed up eggs, I took a closer look at the directions and discovered even if seasoning is successful, it doesn't last forever. "To maintain the exceptional performance of Orgreenic, we recommend you repeat the seasoning process at least twice a year." So I tried it again. I went out and bought some new vegetable oil.  Then heated my pan over medium heat until it started to smoke.  (Which, by the way, takes a fair amount of time.  It definitely requires patience.)  When the smoke finally arrived, I took the pan off the burner, let it cool, cleaned it off, and returned it to the cabinet until I was brave enough to try to cook some new eggs.

I'm very happy to report that they were beautiful.  Perfectly over-easy and wonderfully delicious.

I think there's hope for me too.

Oh, the argument in my head raged for a while!   The guilt side of my brain shouted: "Once salt has lost it's saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It's good for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."  But the grace side of my brain answered: "He that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." "We recommend you repeat the seasoning process at least twice a year." 

Over and over, I've seen "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more." God's not in the throwing-out business, and I know he's patient enough to season me and bring out my Orgreenic quality again.  Restoration is somewhat of a specialty of his.

Oh yes, I'm certain there's hope for me too.

Bring on the eggs.

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"Don't assume you're good soil." ~ Francis Chan, Crazy Love

"Until you're broken for your sins you can't be social." ~ Jimmy Needham, Clear The Stage

"You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." ~ Psalm 23:5