Expiration Date

Ok…time to be vulnerable again.  I’m going to confess something.  Six years ago during our life storm, I lost the joy in cooking and baking.  To be honest it has never come back.  I believe God gave me new joys to take the place of old ones.

 

But at Christmas time, I felt I should bake something.  I always loved my Grandmother’s cherry pie so I decided to make one.  I use to always make my own pie crust, as it is not hard to do at all, just a little messy.  Several years back though in the joyless baking days, I didn’t want to give it up all together, so I bought packaged pie crust that you roll out and put into the dish.  I must have been more joyless than I thought in the kitchen because they never got used. 

 

The packages of pie crusts got stuck in the back of our extra refrigerator out in the garage.  I saw them every day as I would go in there to get other stuff for the day, but just ignored them.  I got so used to seeing them back there, that I really didn’t pay any attention to them.

 

So this past December, I remembered the pie crusts and thought I would make a pie.  I went to retrieve them and read the expiration date…three years old.  I threw them away and decided to make homemade sugar cookies instead.  I mixed up all the ingredients and spooned the dough onto cookie sheets and baked them.  When I pulled them out they didn’t look right.  This was my grandmother’s recipe and hers were always big and puffy and soft.  These cookies on my sheet were flat.  I didn’t understand and pondered for a few minutes and then had a thought.  Go look at the expiration date on the baking powder can that I had used.  The date had expired 5 years ago!  No wonder they didn’t rise.  Out went the baking powder too. 

 

Pondering again, I thought about Jesus Christ.  He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, forever and He never gets old,  His love for us never goes flat, never molds, and never expires. . .and neither do His promises.

 He has blessed me with friends who bring me goodies from their own kitchen.  One brought me homemade chocolate mints and another brought me a homemade pie and cookies from another. Isn't God good!? Bless their hearts!  I believe there is no expiration date on their hearts either.
 

 I may not have the joy of baking anymore but He has filled me with joy for other things.  He has never left me to feel joyless in all things.  No, I will always have the joy of Him in my heart, serving for Him, and the joy of loving my family, and so many others. And you know what?  He has blessed me not only with friends who bake but with stores and shops that make wonderful baked goodies, just like home.  

I'm so thankful for these blessings, because although my desire to bake has expired, my sweet tooth sure didn't! 

Dear Sweet Heavenly Father,

Thank you for ALWAYS being there. . .for when joys seems to go, You are ALWAYS there to fill us up with others we may not have even known were joys until you opened our eyes and hearts to new things. The love you give is sweeter than any other thing in this world and I am so grateful for all the sweetness of your Words, Your promises, and all good things which come from You. . .yes, even chocolate, gooey, chewy, nutty, goodies.

And one more thing Father. . .

I'm so grateful to know I never need worry, I never need to look for an expiration date. . .with You.
Thank you!
In your most precious, never-expiring Name, Jesus,
Amen.


     Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will NEVER leave you or forsake you.
Joshua 1:5
(see. . .no expiration date;)