I wished for a red velvet cake for my tenth birthday and got a vanilla one instead. Sure it was delicious, but it is not what I expected. Consequently, the sweetness wasn’t truly enjoyed due to my misplaced hope.

Recently, I have been guilty of being disappointed in people. My disappointments have left me edgy and borderline bratty…okay, bratty. I feel like I have been given a kitchen full of vanilla cakes from people who should know me better! Did I mention I was acting like a brat?

Okay, so I was given something I didn’t expect from a few friends this week: a reaction, a lack of action, a misperception…. Basically, I was left with a countertop full of vanilla cakes, holding a fork, disappointed, and with a ZERO appetite. I have no control over the fact that they took their time to bake a vanilla cake (or act a certain way, or not act certain way). And I have no control that they choose to give me the cake (that their actions were put into my personal space).

What to do at this point? Well, the ten-year-old in me visualizes a cake destroying party. But that would no doubt leave me with a messy kitchen and a very hyper dog.

I decided to do two things: love the vanilla cakes anyway, and make myself a red velvet cake. First, I whipped up some homemade frosting in the favorite color of each of my pals who brought me a cake. I made the cakes look lovely, and I gave it back to them better than what it was given to me. Basically, I loved them through my disappointment and I shared sweetness instead of bitterness. In return, I freed up my energy and appetite to work on whipping up an outstanding red velvet cake for myself! Not left to depend on others for my happiness, I was able to be content, share, and clear off my counters (get their stuff off my emotional plate).

The entire kitchen smelled wonderful. The cake tasted amazing. Sometimes it is simply too much to expect someone to know you well enough not to disappoint you. It happens; and oftentimes, they don’t even realize they hurt you. It is also good to remember it goes both ways. I am guilty of giving out red velvet cakes to friends who would rather have chocolate chip cookies.

We all disappoint. Thankfully, Christ has given us a kitchen full of bakeware to try again, measure more carefully, not get cooked up for too long, and to enjoy sharing when we get it right. He knows our quirky tastes, our hot buttons, and even our misplaced hopes. His grace is the eternal recipe, and through His sifting we are refined and made into pure ingredients for His purpose. 

Although we try our best not to disappoint in this world, we can look forward to one day sitting in God’s kitchen sharing angel food cake together. Yum! Love you, dear friends!

Grab Your Fork!