By Alison Feinauer
Brownie Recipe:
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Yes, you read it. I’m opening with the recipe for Brownies. Take notice of all the ingredients in here. None of them by themselves would you put directly in your mouth, well, maybe the sugar. But alone these ingredients are bitter, salty, tasteless, or bland. But together with a little heat and time, they all have a purpose in the recipe. And the end result is yummy and tastes oh, so good.
This is how God is putting our lives together. He promises to work everything to the good for those who love him – that is you and me, my friend.
So maybe my recipe for life looks a little like this:
1 cup of Disappointment
2 cups of Grace
1/2 cup of Blended Family
1 teaspoon Rejection
4 ounces of Infertility
3 teaspoon Sexual Mistakes in College
1/2 cup of Church Hurt
1 sprinkle of Eating Disorder
All of these standing alone look hopeless, worthless, or impossible to be useful. But put them together, with a little heat and time, God is making a sweetness out of my life that has purpose and a plan that only my Creator could cook up!
So what’s in the mixing bowl of your life that you want to surrender and turn over to Jesus? You can lay it all at His feet and watch what He can do. Maybe it’s the extremely hard stuff you’ve tucked deep down: sexual abuse, an affair, an abortion, another binge and purge episode… Whatever it is, HE CAN HANDLE IT. In His faithfulness, in His perfect timing, and in His power, He is bringing the goodness out of your situation. The warm, fresh, homemade brownies will be coming out of the oven just for you, as you believe this verse with me:
So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose (Romans 8:28 TPT).
Father, you know every detail of my life, the things I’ve done, and the things that have been done to me. You know my fears, my hurts, my sins, my weaknesses, and I believe with all my heart that you are weaving all of those things together for good. You love me, and You created me. Please help me to trust that You will take care of me. Change me from the inside out. I can’t wait to see what You make of all of my life. I want to fulfill the purpose You have designed for me. I love and trust You. In Your Holy, Faithful Name. Amen
