God's "Cake" Plan

Have you ever had a bad day? A bad week? Bad month? Year? Well, of course you have. We all have our bad days and tough times. But do you ever wonder where God is during those times? I do.
I like to think of God as the "chef". Now, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, right? Well, let me explain.

One day a girl was talking to her mother , telling her about her horrible day: her boyfriend broke up with her, she failed a test, was late to school, and got into a fender-bender on the way home. Her mother was making a cake while her daughter was talking. She asked her daughter, "Do you want a snack?" Seeing that her mother was making a cake, she said, "Sure, mom, you know I love your cakes."
"Well then, how about some flour?" the mother asked. "Or what about some baking soda?"
"Ewwwwww, no, mom, those are all gross." the daughter replied.
"Maybe some raw eggs then, or a stick of butter?" her mom said.
"No, why would I want those nasty things?" her daughter asked in reply.
"Because all those things seem nasty on their own, but when you put them together in the right way, they create a delicious cake. Life is like a cake: although you may have some bad things happen, when they all get put together in the way God planned, they make something wonderful. You have to let God, the ultimate chef, do something wonderful with the things that happen in your life."

Someone Who Understands

I once heard a story (author unkown) in which a farmer had a sign out in front of his property stating he had puppies for sale. After a short while, a little boy came to the farmer in response to the sign. He said, " Mister, I want to buy one of your puppies." The farmer replied, "Well, those puppies cost a good deal of money." The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change. He said, "I have thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?" "Sure." said the farmer. he whistled and hollered, "Here, Dolly!" From the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly and four little pups. The boy's eyes lit up and showed a great deal of delight. As the dogs approached, the boy noticed something else stirring in the doghouse. Slowly another pup appeared, though considerably smaller, and limping as if crippled, doing its best to catch up. "I want that one," the boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, “Son, you don't want that puppy. He'll never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.” The little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and rolled up one leg of his pants, revealing a steel brace running down both sides of his leg. Looking up at the farmer, he said, "Mister, I don't run too well myself, and that puppy needs someone who understands.”

The world is full of hurting people that are looking to connect with others who understand. Not one of us is perfect. Everyone has flaws and weaknesses. Some are more visible than others, but we all have them. Fortunately, like the boy who chooses the pup, we have a Savior who knows and understands our feelings and our weaknesses and still chooses us to be His children! And, in response, he wants us to demonstrate our love for one another!

Apples

Have you ever heard about apples? Then let me tell you:

Girls are like

apples on trees. The best

ones are at the top of the tree.

The boys don't want to reach for

the good ones because they are afraid

of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they

just get the rotten apples from the ground

that aren't as good, but easy. So the apples

at the top think something is wrong with

them, when in reality, they're amazing.

They just have to wait for the right

boy to come along, the one

who's brave enough

to climb

all the way

to the top

of the tree.

Christian Family?

Does your family call itself Christian? Mine does. But is it true? Many believe that calling your family Christian simply means that all the main family members, or at least most, are followers of Christ. But isn't there more? The Bible has commands for Christians, but do you live them and do as Christ did?

• The Bible states that love is not easily angered, but how many times have you gotten angry with a loved one?


• The bible tells us not to slander, but how many times has your parent, child, or even you stubbed a toe, forgotten something at the house, or accidentally injured themselves and let a curse-word slip?


• The Bible says to honor your father and your mother, but when your parent got old and senile, becoming very stubborn and forgetful, maybe even developed dementia, did you honor them in their requests and wishes, no matter how insane they seemed?


• The Bible states in the 10 commandments to put no other gods before the Lord himself, but how often do choose TV, shopping, clothes, the computer, money, or even living life over prayer and alone time with God?


• The Bible reveals that love keeps no record of wrongs and to forgive your brother "77" times, but how long did it take your children to earn back your trust after lying or stealing? How many times have you brought up someone's past transgressions? Have you forgiven all who have wronged you?


• The Bible tells us to do unto others as you would have them do unto you, but how many times have you had road rage, said something about someone behind their back, lied to someone to protect yourself or avoid something, or ignored your children or been cruel to them after a lousy day at work?

So I ask you, when the Bible tells us something and we choose to do the opposite, how is it we can claim to be followers of the One about whom the book is written?