‘Great British Bake Off’ teaches us to cheer for everyone, even rivals
The “Great British Bake Off” bakers cheer one another on despite competing. The essay asks readers to practice grace by supporting people they disagree with or who live differently.
Guest post by Kristen Caldwell
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News.
When fall rolls around in our house it’s all about the team.
No, I’m not talking about my husband’s beloved L.A. Dodgers trying to make a three-peat World Series this October. It’s not about my favorite team on this season’s Dancing With the Stars (go Julia Styles and Ezra Sosa)!
I’m not even talking about my son’s flag football team, where he gets the chance to shine each Saturday morning.
The team I most want to embody is the one that gathers inside a tent in the English countryside to bake their best cakes, breads and pastry delights in the good ol’ fashioned “Great British Bake Off.”
You see, it’s not actually a team competition. All of the bakers are trying to earn the title of “Star Baker” each week and avoid being sent home. But you would never know that from the way they all support and cheerlead one another in the process.
Season after season, my husband and I admire how the producers and editors work to highlight the very best of the 12 bakers under this tent, even when their bakes sometimes go horribly, horribly wrong.
We are a culture and country that is obsessed with winning, or at least with always thinking we’re right and the other person is wrong. We find flaws and faults rather than joy and connection. I absolutely know I’m guilty of this. Daily.
It leads me back to grace — the “stuff” God freely gives us that John Wesley wanted us to be methodical about studying and practicing.
How do we become practitioners of grace? Well, maybe start by cheering for those you might not deem part of your team. I mean that literally and figuratively. How do we cheer on those with whom we disagree? What about those whose life circumstances are not the same as ours?
It’s hard work to produce our own metaphorical Swiss meringue cakes with a cardamom chocolate ganache while our neighbor is making their own three-tiered coconut lime cake with mango-infused buttercream. In the end, we all want to celebrate our lives to be standing tall, filled with our own unique flavors.
Kristen Caldwell is a mom, wife, writer and a wannabe runner. She is the Oregon-Idaho United Methodist Conference communications manager, and she loves getting to tell stories of the people and places that make up the Greater Northwest Area.
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