Romans
8:28 And we know that for those who love
God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to
his purpose.
When I was a child, I enjoyed the times when my mother
made a cake. Those were the days when desserts were made from scratch. I sat
with amazement and watched a number of distasteful single ingredients – flour,
sugar, eggs, shortening, vanilla and butter – go into the porcelain mixing
bowl. After a thorough blending, the batter was poured into two cake pans, and
then sent to a preheated oven. Often I asked myself, “How can ingredients that
taste so bad on their own taste so good when they are mixed and baked?” It
didn’t make sense to my mind, but my mouth enjoyed the results every time.
I think of this cake mix picture when Romans 8:28 come to
mind. Oftentimes, we experience a number of difficult events in our lives
(death of a loved one, illness, a shocking revelation, car accident, etc.).
When we go through those occurrences, it can leave a bad taste in our minds and
souls. To use the above picture, it’s like swallowing a cup of shortening or
two raw eggs straight from the refrigerator. Done that lately?
That’s where the grace of Romans 8:28 shows up. God has a
wonderful way of taking the distasteful tings of our past and producing
something sweet in return. In his love, he can take those unpleasant events,
mix them with the milk of his mercy, and then slide them into the heat of his
sovereign pleasure. Before you know it, something wonderful comes out that’s
good and delicious. That’s what grace does in God’s plan.
How many bitter events from your past do you taste today?
There’s a better way! See them as ingredients to a sweeter tomorrow. He can take
the worse things in your life and make them good in his plan. God has the best
dessert menu around. Try it!
Written by H. Curtis McDaniel
