View Blog Entry

Grandma had a recipe for muffins, and I need a recipe for trusting God.

Whenever I get frustrated and think God keeps me from having the good things in life, I think about my grandma’s cinnamon muffin recipe. I once changed it to suit my desires and ended up with a mess.

Whenever Grandma made muffins, her whole house smelled like scrumptious cinnamon. I loved those muffins, but at eight years old, I decided that if a good recipe used a quarter teaspoon of spice, a better recipe would use several teaspoons.

My chance to try out that idea came one day when Grandma was baking and the phone rang, leaving me alone with the batter. I quickly grabbed the cinnamon and shook a large amount into the bowl. Then I stirred it in and waited for what I presumed would be a delightful result.

The outcome, however, was not what I expected. The muffins were so bitter that we had to throw them away. And later, as Grandma scolded, it became painfully evident that adding more to anything was not always the recipe to improve it.

God explains why more is not always better in Exodus 23:30 and Deuteronomy 7:22. To keep His people from being overwhelmed, He drove out their enemies little by little. He knew if He gave them too much at one time, even something good, they could not deal with it. Instead of flourishing, they would fail and become like those awful muffins—bitter and unusable.

I am working on trusting God to know exactly how much I can handle and when. Getting too much too soon could make me unappreciative or proud. I have to trust that a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon is all I need right now. I hope you can believe that too. God’s recipe is perfect, even if it involves less.

Do you have a recipe for trusting God?

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)