Many of us baked our favorite recipes for family and friends this holiday season. Or perhaps you were on the receiving end of some of your favorite homemade treats. These time-tested dishes and desserts have earned their place in our family traditions and come out perfectly every time… until they don’t.
My family gathered for our annual baking day again this year. This time, Greg and I had just moved into our new home and were still working out the kinks. The adventure of moving brought the challenge of finding the appropriate bakeware, remembering where we had put all the ingredients, and working with ‘new to us’ appliances. While everyone took this in stride and had a great time together, we all had to pivot a bit and adjust to the new environment. Some of the dishes needed more time to bake than normal, others needed less time, and some just didn’t turn out the way we had hoped.
No matter how closely we follow the recipe, small changes like new cookware, a new oven, unfamiliar cooking environment, etc all can impact the final product making it, well, less then perfect. We always want it to turn out the way we expect but sometimes the results may vary.
Have you ever felt that way in your life? You make plans, put steps in place to get you where you want to go but then things don’t turn out the way you’d hoped? You don’t get the job. The relationship breaks up. You don’t pass the test. Loved ones pass away. All results you didn’t expect and are disappointed by because you followed the ‘recipe’ and feel it should have worked.
God did not design our lives by a tried-and-true recipe, but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t have a plan. It’s hard when we hope for something that doesn’t come through in the end. We’re disappointed and our hearts can be bruised or broken. The final results we want are not always what He has planned and may not be what is best for us.
While it’s always a tough season to walk through, thankfully it’s not for nothing. God faithfully gives us an opportunity to pivot. The amend the recipe. To try again or pursue something new instead. He allows us to learn from the experience, make some adjustments, and keep moving forward. God loves us too much to allow us to stay where we are! He will continually guide and grow us if we trust Him in the disappointments and the pain. Soon, we will find a new direction, a new recipe, and a whole new creation!
Be blessed,
Jennifer
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a away in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19