This time of year really brings out the “Betty Crocker” in some people. I envy them, every once in a while. Most of the time I just enjoy the fact that God has gifted some at least, with a baker’s thumb.
If you’re like me, there’s a special dessert or two that comes quickly to mind when you think of Christmas. It’s that mouth-watering something that just adds to the celebratory feeling in the air. It’s that one thing you look forward to, and you’re just sure that Christmas wouldn’t be the same without it. For me that special dessert was Grandma’s Red Velvet Cake. A great deal of time and expense went into this cake. And it was so worth it. It was the perfect Christmas cake with its festive deep red color frosted in that rich cream cheese and walnut icing. We called it Jesus’ birthday cake.
When I married and moved hundreds of miles away from home, being with extended family for Christmas was not always possible. Red Velvet Cake was one of the traditions I wanted to carry on with my own family. It wouldn’t be Grandma’s, but I wanted to try, so I had her send me her recipe. Looking over the ingredients, it was like no boxed mix I’d ever used. Who puts vinegar in a cake? Grandma added a note that puzzled me, but otherwise it didn’t appear to be too complicated. The note said something about how to mix the baking soda and the vinegar. What difference would it make?
Flour, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, eggs, oil, milk…I started tossing everything in the large mixing bowl, thinking to myself that it really shouldn’t matter what order I added them. After all, it would all be mixed together in the end. Then the phone rang. I was just seconds into the phone call when one of my boys started tugging at my leg, another began yelling, “Mom, the cake, it’s exploding!”
I glanced around and sure enough, my cake was bubbling up and out of the bowl and was pouring all over the counter! What a mess! I quickly ended my call and then phoned my grandmother. When I explained to her what was happening, she laughed then replied, “You didn’t follow the directions did you?” That was an understatement. I hadn’t made a cake, I had made a volcano! That was many Christmases ago, but some things you don’t forget. An exploding cake is one of them! And thanks to Grandma, I learned an important lesson about recipes. Directions do matter. If a certain end result is expected, then I can’t just randomly throw a few ingredients together and hope for the best.
There are many that take the same haphazard approach to life that I used with that recipe. Life can become one jumbled chaotic mess when every day is just a struggle to survive the stress. Whether it’s parenting, or plans for the holidays, the mayhem that often results from “just winging it” is exhausting. Some even approach worship this way, as if God is expected to accept whatever is thrown His way; a little prayer here, a little Bible reading there, church when we can squeeze it in, and we’ve done God a favor! We play by our own rules, disregarding the Word (the directions if you will) when the situation seems to demand it, then wonder why life blows up in our face…like exploding cake batter! Life can be busy and demanding, kind of crazy sometimes. But busyness is not bedlam when God is ordering our days (Psalms 37:23).
I learned how to make Red Velvet Cake the right way, by following Grandma’s recipe as it was written.
Funny, but every time I follow the instructions…I get the same result…success! God is faithful, and His Word can be trusted. When His instructions are followed, the results are the same…we’re blessed and He is honored. Keep thinking that just any old way will do. Keep making choices and decisions with no serious thought about the directions those choices are taking you. Keep parenting just hoping they turn out ok in the end. You may end up with a bigger mess than you bargained for.
Blown up any cakes lately?? Merry Christmas!
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