Why the Holes?

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:2-8 ESV).

 

We have just returned from a bit of a vacation in the Smokies. One of our traditions is to make at least one trip to the Donut Friar in Gatlinburg. As you can see from the photo, it is located in a picturesque square amply decorated with flowers and colorful shops surrounding the central fountain. The donuts there are very good, but other places have these wonderful pastries and arguably are better. The reason we must stop there and sample some of their creations is more tradition than anything else. Some might even say that all donuts taste the same. They certainly all look about the same. All of them are typically round with a hole in the middle.

 

By the way, are you aware of the reason behind the hole in the middle?  The boring theory behind the holes is because it was necessary. Once bakers started adding egg yolks to their doughnut recipes, the dough became super rich, thereby making it difficult to cook the pastries evenly. The center would be gooey and raw while the edges would be crisp. The simple solution was to get rid of the middle entirely. There is a more interesting theory. It has to do with an 1850's New England ship captain's mother named Elizabeth Gregory. It seems Mrs. Gregory packed her son a huge supply of fried dough for one of his voyages. It was on this voyage that Captain Gregory is credited with creating the first doughnut with a hole. Some historians say it was probably to save ingredients. Others think that he may have thought the hole would make the doughnuts more digestible.  My personal favorite is that Gregory needed both hands to steer his ship during a storm, so he skewered some of the pastries on the spokes of the ship's wheel! Sadly, the first theory about needing a hole in order to cook the doughnuts evenly is the most probable explanation.

 

I suppose you are wondering what donuts have to do with a devotional based on our reading today. Well, the truth is we all end up like the donut at some point in our lives. We are struck with enough difficulty that we end up with what feels like holes in the middle of our hearts. And, if God really is sovereign, then we must ask why He allows the holes to be punched in our hearts. The simple answer is it makes us “cook evenly.” It is part of completing our sanctification. It makes us perfectly fit for the eternal kingdom God has prepared for us. Painful as it often is, it is also absolutely necessary to finish what God has begun. No one wants to be “half-baked”! Take joy in the trials of life. They complete us!