Susan K. Stewart is a no-nonsense Christian with a strong desire to inspire and equip people 
in various walks of life. In this UPLIFT post, she encourages us to find hope in God's love in the midst of life's "blunders."
“Little did I know," Susan says, "my granddaughter, Wendy, would remind me of God’s love when she baked biscuits for dinner.”
God's love? Biscuits? OK, Susan. I (Dawn) think you've got our curiosity!
Susan continues . . .
Eleven-year-old Wendy had just made her first batch of homemade biscuits. She put the plate down in front of her grandfather. “Papa, try one of my biscuits!”
Wendy followed instructions carefully, but the biscuits didn’t rise as usual.
No concern.
The color wasn’t quite right.
Well, it was her first try.
After slathering with butter, Papa took his bite. For a moment his face gave away a concern—just for a moment.
Wendy bit into hers.
“These are great, aren’t they?” She was proud of her effort.
Papa’s initial reaction confirmed that the biscuits weren’t quite right. They were course, not fluffy, and a bit gritty.
I pondered what had happened. What could have gone wrong?
I had supervised the baking effort and didn’t see any mistakes. Well, other than the flour looked odd. While munching my gray, gritty biscuit, the proverbial lightbulb came on.
It wasn’t flour. It was diatomaceous earth (DE).
We keep DE in the pantry to use for bug control. It looks similar to flour except a little finer. The wrong container had been grabbed.
Thankfully, DE isn’t harmful to humans.
In spite of the odd gray color and gritty feel in our mouths, we laughed about the blunder and enjoyed Wendy’s first made-from-scratch biscuits.
Even after learning what happened, Wendy was not discouraged. This was her creation and she was pleased.
Isn’t that like God? We are His creation, and we can sometimes be gray and gritty.
He doesn’t throw away any of us.
God said His creation, including humans, was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Not just “good,” but “VERY good.”
Even after Adam and Eve fell into the snare of Satan, God didn’t give up.
He wasn’t discouraged and didn’t throw us in the trash can.
Instead, God had a plan to restore His creation to Himself:
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6-8 ESV).
God made a way for us to come to Him. Jesus died to renew our connection with God.
That’s amazing! Even when I have a gray attitude or am abrasive, God shows His love. He says, “Isn’t Susan very good?”
Like Wendy, God sees beyond the blunders, my blunders, to His creation. He’s not downcast or unhappy. God continues His love. He is still proud of His effort put into me.
The next day, Wendy called her mom to tell her and laugh about her biscuits. She was so happy to have had the opportunity to be part of the meal preparation. We’ll forever talk about the DE biscuits.
“(God) will rejoice over you with gladness” (Zephaniah 3:17 ESV). Sometimes it’s hard to fathom that God takes delight in us, just as Wendy was delighted in her biscuits. He created us, saved us, and takes pleasure in us no matter what.
He continues to rejoice in His creation.
A few days later, Wendy made a new batch of biscuits—this time with flour. They were tall and white with a hint of brown crust. The butter melted into the fluffy bread. Each bite was a delicious. A new baking creation to replace the old.
God does that for us; He makes us a new creation.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV).
In spite of our sin and rags, He offers us hope.
God doesn’t see us as those old dark and sinful creatures. He sees the new, clean creation we are in Jesus.
Take joy in what God has created—a new you.
Have you mistaken one ingredient for another other when cooking? Was the result a disaster or a fun story for the family? What is your reaction to blunders? Are you downcast? Or do you rejoice with God? What is your hope today?
Susan K. Stewart—when she’s not tending chickens and donkeys—teaches, writes, and edits non-fiction. Her passion is to inspire others with practical, real-world solutions. Susan's books
include Science in the Kitchen; Preschool: At What Cost?; the award-winning Formatting e-Books for Writers; and her most recent book, Harried Homeschoolers Handbook. Learn more about Susan at Practical Inspirations.
Graphic adapted, courtesy of Olisa655 at Pixabay.