Woke up this morning with a desire to cook a very specific dish. A one-pan chicken enchilada dish (see recipe below) that I adapted from Costco’s take-and-bake section. It’s bomb. As I was thinking about what I needed in order to make the dish and what I had in my kitchen, I heard a gentle voice assuring me that, “You have everything that you need already”.
My inner skeptic wanted to doubt and carry on with making my grocery list, but I had a feeling deeper than my skepticism that this was true! In that moment, I felt a quickening of excitement rise up within me. So I scrapped my list, and I decided to round up the ingredients to begin preparing my meal.
One thing was certain for me: everything changed when I moved from skeptic to expectant.
"Everything changed when I moved from skeptic to expectant."
I started with the chicken breasts and canned beans and veggies that would serve as the base for this recipe. Check! One thing I didn’t see was the enchilada sauce. In that instance, I felt myself wanting to doubt, but I knew that I already had everything I needed. So I dug in the pantry. And sure enough, in a spot I least expected, the sauce was there. I don’t even remember buying it!
As I start to set out the items to begin cooking the meal, I realized that I enjoy some additional fresh veggies in this dish and was sure that I had used up my supply already earlier in the week. So I set out the cutting board and knife and thought to make plans to run to the store for what was left. Afterall, this was already an encouraging and motivating time for me with the Lord as I had most of what I needed to make this dish happen. But I sensed yet another press from the Lord: “Everything you need is already there.”
I made my way back to the fridge to check on my chilled veggie status. Two types of onions, two types of bell peppers, and a zucchini! That wasn’t expected at all! Maybe the singular yellow onion, but the green onions, peppers, and a zucchini? No way! Now, I love zucchini in Mexican food dishes, especially in this dish, and love how it pops in it. However, in my head, I had already decided that if everything else was there and none should be in my fridge, this is the one veggie I was prepared to sacrifice this time around. But that wasn’t the case. How intentional of the Lord!
Looking out at everything on my kitchen counter, I realized that I indeed had everything that I needed to make this dish happen today! Reflecting somewhat in the moment and after the fact, what perplexed me the most was how quick and willing I was to allow doubt to creep in. To justify what I initially discerned as God speaking as my own hopeful desire that everything was here and I didn’t have to actually go to the grocery store afterall. To revert back to the same thought several times, questioning my own sanity and ability to hear accurately. To being willing to settle for “somethings” or “most things” rather than “everything”. Or to think that my desire for an incredible dish is that I have all the ingredients I think would bring it together well, but being willing to sacrifice some pieces to again, justify for God. In this case, to justify that “everything” meant only the basic things and not actually everything.
God is a God who speaks. Not just in the chaos of our lives or through certain people (ie. pastors and church leaders). He speaks in the exciting and the trivial. The highs and the lows. And everything in-between. He is a God of the moment. He is a God of the details. He is a God of intentionality. And no matter where you are or what you’ve done, he is still speaking to you. Are you listening? He has everything that you need already.
3. Prior to serving, combine both and top with cheese. Allow cheese to melt and then dish up.
Some additional touches include topping with sour cream and guacamole, and green onions. If you want a more enchilada-like experience, you can add strips of flour tortillas when you add the sauce to your mix!
BONUS: I’ve had such an overwhelming response to this recipe and some of the others I often talk about on my Instagram that I’ve decided to create a page dedicated to some of my favorite recipes, a segment I call: Kitchen Pow!
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