Just Like Chocolate Cake

This week I have had some sweet time with my Abba Father.  I have sat on the deck and soaked up the sun and the Son.  I have been encouraged in Scripture, battled in prayer and meditated on my salvation.

I also spent some time in the kitchen.  It was not nearly as sweet as the time on the deck.  You would not know that I had a home ec degree this week.  You would not know I took college level food science classes.  You would think that I should stop by Albertson's or call the local cake-makers to put together my son's birthday cake.

But I didn't.  I am stubborn and persistent, and at the end of the day I am not going to let a messy birthday cake send me over the edge.  It is just a cake.  And if you've been following my blog over the years you might recollect that I have cake mishaps almost annually; this is not unusual.

This year I was trying to bake 2 9" homemade chocolate rounds.  The rounds are hand-me-downs and not the size of true 9" cake pans.  But I put the whole batch of batter in them.  Foolishly.  I thought twice but did not heed my thoughts.  Darn it.

And sure enough, half way through baking I smelled the oh-so-lovely burnt cake pouring out over the pans onto the racks and burner and bottom of the oven.  So glad my guys weren't home.  The house was filling with smoke.  I tried to air it out but the wild fire over the mountains has the prairie filled with smoke, so now I had a double-smoky, burnt chocolate, smoldering pine combination disaster wafting through my house.  Lovely.

Trying to get the cakes out of the pan was another whole debacle.

What a mess.

Just like me.  I have been a mess.  Half-baked, half-burnt, spilling over, stinky and ugly.  I was lost, disobedient and separated.

But because of Jesus' great love and willing sacrifice, I am now redeemed.  He took me out of the mire and washed me clean and set my feet upon a rock.

He made me new; replaced my spirit with His.  A new creation.  When the Father now sees me, He sees Jesus' perfection.  Oh how I am eternally grateful.

What happened with the cake?  Well, it reminds me of the post-salvation life.  Even though I am perfected in God's eyes because I am covered in Jesus, and even though I have a new spirit, I am still a work in progress on this earth.  My soul and flesh are slowly being sanctified, made like Christ.  And even though I look and act and am a whole lot better than before I received Christ's precious gift, I am still not perfect.  I mess up, try to put the pieces back together, repent, try again, mess up, repent, try again, and am continually in process of letting God have all of my soul and body. 

Kinda like this cake.  Much better than before, but still has plenty of flaws. 

But just as God receives me now that I am redeemed, we received the cake!  And we savored and enjoyed the chocolate mousse covered saved cake.

It doesn't get any sweeter.