Cake Craft

I blinked my eyes and yawned. The sun, filtering through my window, told me it was past time to get up, but I didn't want to. I reached for my Bible and decided to have my morning devotions in bed. Just as I began reading, the phone rang. My body reacted by jumping up and reaching for the phone while my heart, far less enthused, just went along for the ride. The voice on the other end of the phone seemed familiar and yet my mind struggled for a face to put with it. The question was, "Would you be willing to spend the day with me?" Realizing that too long a pause would answer the question for me, I searched for something to say besides, "Well, who are you?" Obviously, I should know to whom that voice belonged, but my groggy thoughts were failing me. Thankfully, before my foot got stuck in my mouth the voice continued with a quick identification and explanation for the request.

It seems as though there was to be a graduation party for some students that night. Arrangements had been made for a decorated cake, but at the last minute the plans fell apart, as plans are wont to do, especially on important occasions. Now, the voice was pleading, "I heard you decorate cakes and wondered if you could pleeease help me out." My mind raced through my day's scheduled activities and I found nothing there that couldn't wait, so I gladly agreed.

The plan was that she would bring the cake ingredients to my home, we would bake the cakes, then I would try to decorate them in the short time that would be left before the party started. No problem, I like a good challenge! The catch, however, involved some food allergies which dictated that the cake should be vegan. Now, for the carnivores among us, that means no animal products, such as, eggs, milk, or butter. And for the bakers among us, you're beginning to see how that could be a problem. But little did I understand the full ramifications of that one small detail. She would be bringing the ingredients for the cake as well a knowledge for how to make them, so my thoughts turned to the decorations. I had all kinds of ideas but soon found out that virtually everything I use to decorate cakes contains something that had its origin in a living creature. Fondant and gum paste contain, gelatin, chocolate contains milk, even icing is typically made with butter. I began to panic. What was I going to do? This would, undoubtedly be the worst looking cake of all time, or at least in modern history. I just recently started a cake decorating business and the general idea is to make people think I am actually good at it. Further contemplation merely turned up more blanks as I filtered feverishly through my limited file of familiar options. "No way", I conceded, "can this be done and still look and taste like anything but a disaster."

Now it has been my repeated experience that when I pray about impossible things I find them to be God's specialty. Unfortunately, my memory is sometimes flawed, as I'm sure you noticed in the opening of this narrative, and I've been known to forget what God's specialty is. So what did I do? I panicked, stewed, fumbled and raced about in the recesses of my cobwebbed mind, searching for some option which wasn't in there. This desperate pursuit left me exhausted and tearful, frustrated and defeated. I had rushed headlong through an old routine and found myself seated with my head in my hands, staring at a relentless clock which showed no mercy for my plight. By this time, my attitude was not one of praise or even faith. It had degenerated into a feverish desperation which, while prompting a whispered prayer, left me questioning, "Why would God answer me? I'm just a pitiful little worm whose been tied in knots through the chasing of my own tail. What makes me worthy of His time, much less His problem solving power?" To this, God answered, "The life of my Son!"

I learned many lessons that day and God used the experience to show me His faithfulness again. It did turn out that He chose to give me a decorating idea and guided my hand to complete it in such a way that blessed all involved through His goodness, even sending me help in the form of my mother, who, it turns out, has a special touch with vegan icing. But the greatest lesson I learned that day was not that God can do the impossible - for certainly He can. Nor was it that He chose to grant my request - for He always answers in my best interest, be it a "yes" or a decided "NO"!

You see, I was to the point of disowning that cake before it was even finished. I was going to tell this woman that I would only give her the cake if she promised not to tell anyone that I was the one who decorated it. I was looking at that cake in its current state and was embarrassed by its reflection of my cake decorating skills. God used this experience to shed some light into how He sees me.

God made me in His own image, created me to be a reflection of His character to the world. How miserably I fail Him here. God could have looked at me in my present state and said, "I am embarrassed to call you Mine." The beautiful thing is: God looks not upon what is but on what will be." He "calleth those things which be not as though they were." (Romans 4:17) God looks on me and sees the worth of His own Son, "who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20) He looks forward to the day His work will be completed. He reaches down and hugs me now, assuring me of His love and reminding me that His "strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9)

Today, I am not who I want to be. But, by the grace of God and His mighty power, I'm not who I used to be. As I stay in my Master's hands, I can trust Him to complete the good work He started. (Phil. 1:6)

Bonnie Morsette ~ 5/13/2010