Sweet and subtly spicy, these cookies are a great alternative to your conventional chocolate chip cookie.

Living On Mission Wherever God Has Placed You

A few months ago, I became frustrated with my job. I work in healthcare, specifically the rehab side of skilled nursing, and I became burnt out from the pandemic and the constantly shifting protocols.

I wanted to quit so badly and started looking at job listings. At around the height of my frustration, I attended a prayer and worship night with one of my friends. At the end of the evening, one of the worship leaders said they felt God place on their heart that there was someone in attendance who was feeling overwhelmed with work and thinking about quitting their job. He said God wanted to encourage that person to stay the course and that He would be with them through it.

I knew that message was meant for me. After that night, I prayed about it and realized I didn’t see my work as a mission field. I simply went in, did my job to the best of my ability and left. At that time, there was no element of me partnering with God in my work or inviting Him into that space. I heard God saying “Nat, I’ve placed you in a career where you get to interact with hundreds of people. You have the opportunity to intentionally share my love with every person you meet.” I knew going forward that I couldn’t get through the burnout without God working through me, supplying me with joy and strength.

Praying With Patients

Thus began a beautiful partnership of inviting God into my work day.

One of the things He asked me to do was to offer to pray with my patients. I’m not going to lie, this terrified me. I thought it was going to be so awkward and what if they said no or even became offended? It also revealed some preconceived notions and biases I didn’t know I had.

During chart reviews, I get to see what religious affiliation people align themselves with. In the beginning, I was tempted to only offer to pray with people who identified as “Christian”. This felt safe to me. God quickly corrected me and told me I needed to offer to pray with everyone, not just those who identified like me.

So far, praying with my patients has been such a sweet gift. I get to see the Holy Spirit instilling peace in tumultuous situations and bring comfort and healing. However, there are also people who decline this offer. And that’s okay. However, much to my amazement, no one has ever been offended like I was initially worried about.

Praying with my patients has served as a tangible way for me to keep God as my focus throughout my day at work. I am reminded that I’m given the gift of partnering with the ultimate healer and I can look to Him for guidance and wisdom. I am also reminded that much of my waking hours are spent at work and if I’m going to be intentional about living on mission, I need to live this way in my place of employment as well, not just in my personal life.

Cookies

Cookies are one of my favorite things to make. They’re fairly easy to whip up and can feed a crowd. However, I wanted something different than your generic chocolate chip cookie recipe. I began thinking of different flavor combinations and thought Mexican hot chocolate would be a fun flavor profile. My spice tolerance has been gradually building the last couple months and I love the subtle kick of the cayenne in these cookies.

That being said, I wouldn’t consider these cookies spicy. You don’t even notice it initially until after you’ve swallowed when you’re left with a lovely lingering warmth from the spice. To toast the marshmallow, I find using a kitchen torch works best, otherwise the marshmallows tend to deflate. That being said, you can absolutely brown them in the oven. These cookies are best served right away. However, if you choose to enjoy them later, warming them up for a couple seconds in the microwave will do the trick.

I hope you enjoy these cookies. I also hope that you find ways to invite God to partner with you in your work.

Blessings on your home and table,

~Natalie