From Barbara Wahlbrink, Director of Communications …
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:16-18
Last weekend was a celebration. Oldest daughter turning 30, recently engaged to a great guy, bringing family and friends together to meet, greet, eat, drink and be merry. Big parties have a history with our family – and our patio. Lots of things have transpired over the years – dogs get loose, kids get boo-boos, expensive sunglasses fall in the pond, drinks spill, food disappears, rain comes, ice melts – but it’s all good. God’s blessings overflow in the moments when people come together. But you gotta go with the flow.
This time, things were going like clockwork. People arriving, storms holding off, lots of talk and laughter, games, photos, fun! Then came time for the cake. Not wanting to interrupt the flow, I decided to bring the cake to the birthday girl. She saw it, blew out the candles and then … the beautiful cake slipped off the tray and promptly landed face-down on the brick patio. Ahhhhhhh! What now?
Laugh. Regroup. Look for the blessings. 1) Cake was beautiful inside, with a yellow-chocolate pattern on the bottom – who knew? 2) Got it off the patio in one piece before the dogs arrived; 3) Friends helped serve what was salvageable … and ate it! All those sad looking pieces with frosting dolloped on top disappeared! Thank you, Lord.
In the scheme of disasters, this cake debacle ranks low. Life throws lots of curve balls, and many of them are cruel and unusual, far beyond this silly thing. But this silly thing is good practice. When we approach life with prayer and an open heart, whatever comes will be alright. We need to practice every day with the small things, trusting that, when the time comes, even in our darkest moments God will help us regroup and look for blessings. I’ve seen it happen. The Spirit works that way.
Sometimes, life is a bowl of cherries. Sometimes, it’s a cake flipped upside down on a brick patio. And, on this messy, blessed journey we call life, we have to move through both. Thank God for the promises we have, that hold us up, keep us going, give us hope and a purpose, no matter what.