You see, I needed to bake a cake last night for tonight. It was last minute, it was late, and my mind wasn't all there. I am a scratch kind of girl, but because of the time constraint, boxed it had to be. So I put on some worship music, poured my self a glass of cranberry juice and placed a handful of almonds onto a pretty plate for snacking and began the process. I almost immediately became distracted with trying to do too many things at once and it all went down hill from there.
After I piled the ingredients in the bowl and began to mix, I noticed that the batter was unusually thick and by the time I poured it into the pan I had a creeping feeling that something was wrong. It wasn't spreading right, the consistency was off, and I was worried.
And then it dawned on me. I used a WHOLE stick of butter when the recipe only called for a 1/3 cup. Needless to say, my blood pressure was rising. Although, I forged on.
After being in the oven for only 15 minutes, the cake was done. Even though, the box clearly states it should at least be in the oven for 30 minutes. Uh oh. My mom and her ever encouraging self said to let it cool, go to bed, and check on it in the morning. She was sure it would be fine.
If you like VERY dense cake like brownies, then yes, it was right up your alley. But, my perfectionist self was not happy with it.
After some brain storming, my mom asked "did the recipe call for water?" I replied (while curling my hair down the hall) "No, I don't think so." And just like that, as soon as the words came out of my mouth, it was like a perfect image of the directions appeared in my brain. OF COURSE, it called for water. And my mom found the box that proved it.
So, we had our answer. The great mystery of cake like brownies was solved. And it was all my fault.
I was determined to start over and do it right. (there is that perfectionism again.) I crumbled up the original cake to make cake balls at a later date. And this afternoon my mom and I rushed to the store to pick up yet another box of cake mix, so I could prove to myself I could do it, perfectly.
The cake this time was a different story. I checked and rechecked my ingredients and stayed as focused as possible. I was not going to fail.
And now after it has been frosted, cut up, served, and complimented: I see it.
I am just like that first cake.
I am constantly trying to do life with my own recipe. And when I forget the Living water, I am messy and not easily moldable. I have too much filler like the greasy butter that tastes great and looks good from the outside, but in actuality is doing more damage than good. And then in the end, I am resistant to the way the baker wants me to be.
Yuck. Who wants that cake?
And then comes that baker with the grace + mercy. He sometimes will break you down, fill you with some frosting that works like glue to put you back together and use you for another purpose. And then other times He will go to the store and remake you from the ground up as a reminder of his vast plans for you. All the while knowing in His image he made the first cake, prepared and ready to build it up to it's full potential.
This. This is what makes the baker renowned. He doesn't give up and throw that cake away. He spends time making it into the creation He has called it to be. Molding and working on it with the sweetest care.
Like cake in the arms of mercy.
I am so thankful He has opened my eyes to see this lesson that could have been easily glossed over. I must admit, I wasn't planning on sharing this little mishap of mine. It was going to be me and the cake's secret, but I am learning to show the imperfection filled sides of myself.
And what better way then to talk about cake?
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