Icing on the Cake

Our youngest daughter makes the most beautiful cakes for special occasions. There is a gentle whirlwind of activity in the kitchen as she gathers the necessary ingredients. She coaxes Lavern (her stand up mixer!) out of the corner and searches the drawers for her favourite baking tools. Then, she carefully measures and blends. She painstakingly plans and executes unique decorations for each one, paying careful attention to details. Some are elegant, others fun and joyful.

Our daughter’s cakes are gorgeous, but more importantly they are moist and dense and full of flavour, a welcome departure from the ones I make out of a box. (Hey, if I have to add anything or stir it, it must be homemade, right?!)

What good is a cake that looks great but is inedible, I ask you??

I think faith is rather like a cake. God is the cake, the ingredients of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit forming one uniform body. His mercy, His grace, His love, my salvation, my hope... all mixed into the batter. It is fabulous and satisfying all on its own. The icing on this “cake gift” is any other blessing He sees fit to bestow - deep conversation with a dear friend over strong coffee, sunrises on a wooded campsite, naps on a rainy Sunday afternoon, spontaneous laughter from a joyful child… These blessings add charm and detail, and, if the cake-making that goes on in our house is any indication, this part is pure joy for the Decorator.

I acknowledge that the icing on my cake is colourful and sweet, for which I am so grateful. However, I need to always be mindful of the foundation. If I forget God and who I am in Him, I might as well be eating Styrofoam. My life might look good from the outside, but I would be completely missing out on the richness of a relationship with God.

Have your (pretty) cake, but be sure you can eat it too! Something to keep in mind every time I sink my fork into a slice of my daughter’s latest yummy creation!