Life is Like a Chocolate Chip Cookie

As a teacher I have learned that not all lessons go as planned. Sometimes they take a very different turn than expected. Such was the case one Sunday morning with an object lesson I had prepared for my young Sunday School class to illustrate Romans 8:28:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

For the lesson I brought in a small sample of each of the ingredients needed to make chocolate chip cookies. Each sample was placed inside a small numbered container. Those numbers were written on slips of paper, folded, and placed in another container for the children to draw. Once a child drew a number, s/he would find the corresponding ingredient, taste it, then tell if the ingredient was something “yummy” or “yucky”. If it was “yummy”, the child would share something good that had happened to him/her. If it was “yucky”, the child would share something bad that had happened. The point of the lesson was that just like these “yummy” and “yucky” ingredients are used to create something good (delicious chocolate chip cookies), God uses the good and bad things that happen in our life to mold US into something good.

Sounded easy enough, however, things did not go quite as planned. The children quickly grew excited about the ingredients and became eager to explore ALL of them, not just the one they drew. They loved the “yummy” ones (ex: chocolate chips) but they also loved being disgusted by the “yucky” ones (ex: baking soda). They got so wrapped up in experiencing the ingredients that I almost ran out of time to share the point of the lesson as well as the chocolate chip cookies I had waiting for them as a surprise.

It later occurred to me that we as adults do this sometimes, too. We get wrapped up in trivial things and forget God has something better in store for us.

Matthew 6: 25-34 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.

Of course, we have daily decisions that need to be made and chores that need to be done. Let’s face it dinner won’t cook itself, there is always laundry in the hamper, and bills have to be paid. We also have people who need us: children, grandchildren, and spouses, as well as aging family members or those with health issues or some type of disability we may be caring for. We often, too, have job demands that take up much of our time. All these duties and responsibilities add up. Are we to neglect them in order to make room for God? No. But we are to put God first in all these things.

How can we do that?

First, trust that He will take care of us. Remember, God loves us, and he WANTS to take care of us! How awesome is that? When we trust in him and place our faith, worries, and fears on him, he takes them. Voila! Our minds are quieted, and we have more time to focus on what God wants to share with us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Next, acknowledge Him everyday day with prayer, praise, and thanks. Let Him know our needs and desires. It is good to have a designated time to pray but we can continue to pray throughout the day. The Bible encourages us to be “instant” in prayer meaning we are to be ready to pray anywhere at any time.

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Then, continue by meditating on scripture and looking for ways to apply it to our life. By doing this, we ingrain the scriptures into our hearts and minds, making them readily accessible when needed and serving as a calm reassurance during a possibly difficult time.

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Finally, let the little disgruntlements of the day go. This is a personal challenge for me. I find myself hanging onto the day’s grudges well after I’ve gone to bed and even into the next day. They become a weight on my shoulders that I can’t seem to shed.

When we fill our day counting all the wrongs done to us, all the times things didn’t go our way, or all the times our feelings were hurt, we leave no time to think on Godly things. Our minds become clouded and dark, cluttered with negative thoughts. Our hearts become hardened, no longer tender to love and forgive. Satan will use this to turn us away from God and steal our joy.

Ephesians 4:26b-27, 31-32 ". . . let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil . . . Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

So, things don’t always go as planned but there is always a lesson (or two) that can be learned.

God promises that He will take care of all our needs, but He desires a relationship with us. Focusing on trivial matters not only robs us of our precious time, but also serves as a wedge in our relationship with Christ. The Bible encourages us to shift our focus to putting God first in our life, establishing and nurturing our relationship with Him through Bible study, prayer, worship, and service to Him. When we do this, God will direct our steps and He will use the good (yummy) and bad (yucky) things that happen in our life to mold us into the beautiful people we become.

Remember, he has something better in store for us. He loves us and wants to take care of us if we seek Him and His will in our life.

1 Corinthians 2:9. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

*May God bless

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Mqmc5rWM8