Deviled eggs and working for the Lord

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”— Colossians 3:23 (NIV).

Grumbling, I cracked the shell of another hard-boiled egg. Just like the others, it spidered into a web of tiny cracks, meaning I’d be dislodging tiny pieces of the shell while risking the tearing of the white part of the egg.

While making a dozen deviled eggs doesn’t bother me, I’d been asked to make three dozen for our large family Thanksgiving gathering. Attending would be in-laws, cousins and a host of aunts, uncles and grandparents.

I knew my history with making deviled eggs. They might taste good, but their appearance wouldn’t win a culinary beauty contest. Since this was the first time for me to attempt this many eggs, I looked on the Internet two days before Thanksgiving for instructions to make the hard-boiled eggs easier to peel. I’d heard of different methods but couldn’t recall any.

I finally decided on a recipe that called for using vinegar and salt in the boiling water. I was out of vinegar. I had to make a trip to the grocery store anyway, so I added it to my list. However, the store didn’t have smaller bottles on the shelf. Only gallon size jugs were available. I sighed and started to grab one when an older female shopper and I began discussing our Thanksgiving plans. When I mentioned the recipe I’d found on the Internet using vinegar, she replied, “Oh honey, let me tell you an easier way.”

Her directions didn’t require vinegar so I replaced the gallon jug on the shelf. I didn’t need that much vinegar anyway. Then, while standing in line at the checkout, another elderly woman and I began discussing our Thanksgiving plans. When I mentioned the dreaded deviled egg chore, she said, “Let me tell you an easy way to do it.”

I nodded and thanked her for the advice, but I still wasn’t convinced any of the methods were fool-proof. A third piece of cooking advice came from my sister, who just happens to be an excellent cook and a former home economics teacher. While we discussed the different methods I’d already read or heard from the women in the store, she said, “I just boil them and put them in the fridge overnight. They’re easy to peel the next day.”

She also added that the best eggs to use were the ones that were not fresh. I’d purchased mine a week earlier when they were on sale.

“Good,” I thought. “I shouldn’t have any trouble peeling the eggs.”

I was wrong. Standing at my kitchen sink, I began the daunting chore of peeling 36 hard-boiled eggs. As I peeled, I had to remind myself to quit griping. Although the eggs would be eaten by people, I reminded myself my work was for the Lord.

By the time I had finished peeling, cutting, scooping, mixing and stuffing the eggs, I had more battered-looking whites than smooth ones. But, it no longer mattered. My attitude had changed.

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Photo credit: goodhousekeeping.com