Daily Devotionals
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 (Paula)
Every year, some of my sister-in-laws, nieces, daughter, and special friends gather for annual Christmas cookie baking.
On Sunday, there were 9 of us baking up a storm! Literally, “You could eat off my floors” was an understatement
- it didn’t take long for the counters, tables, and floors to be littered with ingredients:
sprinkles, flour, sugar, splats of egg, cream cheese, butter, and enough powered sugar to write your initials in!
I am always amazed by how all of the separate ingredients come together to make something really delicious and special. We all know, these ingredients alone are just “meh.” Some bitter, some boring and dull, some flat, some nearly inedible by themselves. (I mean raise your hand if you’ve ever made the mistake as a kid of tasting baking soda, or cinnamon, or vanilla extract! Yyuaaullk!
)
And yet, when added to the rest of the recipe, it’s delightful. After tasting it alone, we would deny it has its place, and instantly think it should be thrown out or rejected from the sweet recipe…but it rounds out the depth of the flavor, and makes the baked good perform the way it’s supposed to.
So how about you? What ingredients in your life right now taste bitter? Disappointing? Unpleasant? Meh? Boring?
Can we trust that God can use it all - yes ALL - every single ingredient - for good?
His word tells us,
“And we know in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Rom 8:28
Hear ye hear ye! God does not cause the ingredients of evil or disease or misfortune, but He can work with us through them to create something better than we could have ever hoped or imagined! Have you seen Him work amidst people’s circumstances who have a difficult or bitter “ingredient” in their life that they are rising above? A cancer, disease, or disappointment perhaps? There are dear sisters in this group right now that I’m thinking of.
We see you.
God sees you.
As you carry on with weighted breath and eternal hope, continue fighting the good fight in spite of your bitter ingredient.
Grief, divorce, pain, addiction, trauma, disease, rejection… these are all real-life painful ingredients that each of us walks through at some point in our lives. God has the unique ability to take raw staples, add in the right order, mix together, provide just the right amount of heat and time to create something good- something others can taste and see that He is good amidst the hard.
You are not alone or forgotten. Let me pray for us,
“Dear God,
Sometimes the ingredients in our lives don’t make sense. We don’t like them. We want to spit them out.
We are tempted to fall away and doubt your love and redeeming power in our lives. Help us to trust you. Help us to believe that the story isn’t over yet. Help us to lean into your strength and compassion and purpose for our lives. May we submit all of being (mind, spirit, body) in combo with all of our present life ingredients into your hands. Create a holy and pleasing confection out of our lives, as only you can.
Jesus, we believe. Help us with our unbelief.
Amen.”
Sweet Sister, you are loved.
Better Together,
Paula
On Sunday, there were 9 of us baking up a storm! Literally, “You could eat off my floors” was an understatement
- it didn’t take long for the counters, tables, and floors to be littered with ingredients:sprinkles, flour, sugar, splats of egg, cream cheese, butter, and enough powered sugar to write your initials in!
I am always amazed by how all of the separate ingredients come together to make something really delicious and special. We all know, these ingredients alone are just “meh.” Some bitter, some boring and dull, some flat, some nearly inedible by themselves. (I mean raise your hand if you’ve ever made the mistake as a kid of tasting baking soda, or cinnamon, or vanilla extract! Yyuaaullk!
)And yet, when added to the rest of the recipe, it’s delightful. After tasting it alone, we would deny it has its place, and instantly think it should be thrown out or rejected from the sweet recipe…but it rounds out the depth of the flavor, and makes the baked good perform the way it’s supposed to.
So how about you? What ingredients in your life right now taste bitter? Disappointing? Unpleasant? Meh? Boring?
Can we trust that God can use it all - yes ALL - every single ingredient - for good?
His word tells us,
“And we know in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Rom 8:28
Hear ye hear ye! God does not cause the ingredients of evil or disease or misfortune, but He can work with us through them to create something better than we could have ever hoped or imagined! Have you seen Him work amidst people’s circumstances who have a difficult or bitter “ingredient” in their life that they are rising above? A cancer, disease, or disappointment perhaps? There are dear sisters in this group right now that I’m thinking of.
We see you.
God sees you.
As you carry on with weighted breath and eternal hope, continue fighting the good fight in spite of your bitter ingredient.
Grief, divorce, pain, addiction, trauma, disease, rejection… these are all real-life painful ingredients that each of us walks through at some point in our lives. God has the unique ability to take raw staples, add in the right order, mix together, provide just the right amount of heat and time to create something good- something others can taste and see that He is good amidst the hard.
You are not alone or forgotten. Let me pray for us,
“Dear God,
Sometimes the ingredients in our lives don’t make sense. We don’t like them. We want to spit them out.
We are tempted to fall away and doubt your love and redeeming power in our lives. Help us to trust you. Help us to believe that the story isn’t over yet. Help us to lean into your strength and compassion and purpose for our lives. May we submit all of being (mind, spirit, body) in combo with all of our present life ingredients into your hands. Create a holy and pleasing confection out of our lives, as only you can.
Jesus, we believe. Help us with our unbelief.
Amen.”
Sweet Sister, you are loved.
Better Together,
Paula
