A Miracle from a Mess

I found a recipe on Pinterest for Texas sheet cake cookies. My grandma has an awesome sheet cake recipe. So I thought to myself, “Why not adapt Grandma’s recipe?” I’ve been able to successfully adapt recipes before, so I figured I would be able to make cookies out of my grandma’s cake recipe.

I made a mess. An ooey-gooey, sticky mess.

I had put so much effort into the batter that I was determined to make these cookies. So I plopped 8 spoonfuls of batter onto a cookie tray and baked them at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. The following picture is the result.

They tasted really good, though! They just didn’t have the right consistency. However, as I said, I’d put so much effort into the batter and I didn’t want it to go to waste. So I decided to try making Texas sheet cake cupcakes. I had better success with those.

Sadly, the recipe was such a fail (although the cupcakes tasted pretty good) that I couldn’t share it here on my blog, which was one of the reasons I’d tried the recipe. After giving it some thought, though, I came to the conclusion that it makes a pretty good story. It’s funny, proves that I’m not the best baker in the world, and it teaches a pretty good lesson.

Although I had originally set out to make cookies, I ended up making a mess. Thankfully, I was able to change my mindset enough so that they still worked out. Cupcakes may not have what I had originally planned, but at least the recipe worked in the end.

Sometimes things happen in our lives that don’t make sense. Sometimes we can think that God is against us or even that God doesn’t exist because what kind of God lets such terrible things happen in the world? If everything happens according to God’s will, what does it say about him when there are school shootings, fatal car accidents, and children dying of cancer in this world?

The best example is to look at the story of Job. I’ve seen people try to turn Job into a story that says God isn’t always looking out for us, but I think it’s a great example of Romans 8:28. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, those who have been called according to his purpose.”

When bad things happen to people it does not mean that God is against them, it doesn’t mean he’s abandoned them, and it doesn’t mean that he has willed it. The Bible never promises that life is going to be easy. The Bible does, however, promise that God works everything out for those who love him.

Making cupcakes was not my plan. However, when the cookies didn’t work out, I was able to use the batter to make a dessert that tasted really good. God doesn’t want bad things to happen to us; he loves us. But just like in the story of Job, bad things happen to people who love God. It is not God’s plan for bad things to happen to us. The thing about God, though, is that he is God and he can make a miracle out of a disaster. If I, a mere human, can save a basic dessert recipe, God, who is God, can save a situation no matter how awful it seems.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10