“Cultivating Bread; Cultivating Hearts”

Making Sourdough bread has become a trend. I hear friends talking about it all the time and everywhere I look contains endless information about making and prepping the most delicious bread.

As I’ve spent hours learning about and preparing sourdough bread… I began to ask myself a question, “Do I spend the same amount of intentional focus, learning time, and quality time with my family as I do sourdough bread?”

If I gave my family the same time, attention, and intentional care that I give my sourdough bread… our home would feel even more like a place of deep connection and blessing.

Think about it.

Sourdough isn’t quick or convenient. It requires patience. You don’t just throw ingredients together and hope for the best. It has to be planned and consistently looked after.

You have to feed the starter… consistently.
You check on the starter and the dough repeatedly.
You stretch and fold… every 30 minutes.
You watch closely as it rises… adjusting as needed.
You shape it carefully…
You let it rest again…
You bake it…
And even then, you wait before enjoying the final result.

It’s a process of ongoing attention and care.

And somehow… we willingly give that kind of time to bread.

But do we give the same intentional time to our relationships?
We often we rush the people in our lives.
We unintentionally neglect them in our busy culture.
We assume they’ll be fine without intentional care.

Yet God designed relationships to be cultivated.

“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” — 1 John 3:18

Love is not passive. It’s active. It’s attentive. It’s consistent. Quality relationships require the same cultivation process as sourdough. Focus, intentionality, attention, care, studying, and scheduling your life around their needs.

Just like that sourdough starter needs regular feeding…
Our relationships need regular investment intentional focus.

Relationships require…

Time.
Presence.
Listening.
Encouragement.
Grace.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” — 1 Peter 4:8

What if we checked in on our people the way we check on our sourdough?
What if we nurtured hearts the way we nurture a starter?
What if we slowed down enough to notice what’s rising… and what’s struggling?

Strong families don’t happen by accident.
They are built—moment by moment, choice by choice, day by day.

And just like sourdough… the most beautiful results come from consistent, intentional care over time.

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Reflection:

• Where have I been giving my best attention lately?
• Are my relationships receiving the same intentional care as the things I prioritize?
• What is one small way I can “check in and nourish” someone I love today?

Let’s be people who cultivate what truly matters. 🤍