How to Bake a Cake

Let's have some real talk. Girl talk. Real girl talk.
Wednesday nights are one of my favorite nights of the week. I attend a bible study with girls from on and off campus, along with an awesome woman of God, Shannon. We spend our nights being filled up with the Bible, being challenged in our faith and growing together as women of God.

In a random conversation with the ladies, my lovely friend Heather decided to share an analogy about dating and finding the right guy with us. Let's call it, The Cake Theory. I decided to elaborate on this subject.

Ingredients:
Becoming a woman of God is a journey in itself, and for us girls we always wonder when we are going to be ready for Christ centered relationship? In order for us to be ready there are a few things we need to have in line first, just like baking a cake.

Having the right ingredients is the first step in the baking process and relates to us as women growing in Him. We each have qualities that we wish we could or hide or get rid of; on the contrary we also possess qualities and attributes that are strong, the ones that make our personalities distinct. In order for our ingredients to be correct, we need to ask the Lord to first search our hearts and reveal the things that we need to work on. No one is every finished growing, but I whole heartedly believe that there are certain qualities every woman should posses before entering into a Christ centered relationship. As we learn these qualities, there comes a point when the "ingredients" if you will, are at the right measurements.
Mixing the Batter:
To make a cake, all the ingredients must be combined to make a yummy batter. Just like batter, once we have worked on finding our identity in Christ we can begin to grow in our relationship with the Lord. Jesus gives us a fruitful spirits: love, joy, patience etc. Of course with anything it is going to be a continuous learning process. But the Holy Spirit helps us with the perfect ingredients. Let the Holy Spirit continue to mix in the perfect amount for your life.


"Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 

-Ephesians 4:22-24

Oven Time:

Putting the batter in the oven is one of the most exciting parts of the cake process. As the batter is in the oven, all of the separate ingredients that were mixed together, bake and form into one structure. It rises and becomes more firm. Just like a cake, our relationship with Christ is a constant uphill battle, but as we seek and know Him we will continue to be more firm in our faith. The awesome thing about a relationship with Jesus is there is always room for growth. As we grow in Him, different pieces of our personality and spirit develop and grow into something really beautiful.

Cooling:
When the cake is done baking, it needs time to set. We describe this as the waiting process. Although our cake is done, it needs to time to cool. This part is also the most difficult because it takes the most patience, and let's be honest: patience for a girl is often very difficult especially when it comes to finding prince charming. But with patience comes perseverance and with perseverance comes blessings.

My mom continues to encourage me by telling me that I will be glad that I waited for the right guy to come along. I have been learning that it is important to take this "cooling time" and spend it with Jesus. As I wait, I have started to understand that Jesus first captivated my heart and is waiting for the perfect time to give you a respectful and Godly man that his precious daughter deserves.


Frosting the cake.
There are many different flavors or types of frosting out there and we develop certain once that we prefer over others. This concept is the same when it comes to finding a Godly man. He should first and foremost love Jesus with all his heart and be the spiritual leader of the relationship. Only then will he be the best frosting for the cake. Once the cake is complete and the right frosting comes along you will have a beautiful Christ centered cake that lasts a lifetime!




"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!"

If this blog has interested you in the slightest bit, please share it with your friends. These words that I write are not my own, but they come from Jesus who is the writer of life.

Ready or Not Here Jesus Comes.

My favorite thing about living a life for Jesus is things are completely unexpected. Last night I was reading from the book of John and a question shouted loudly to me. Am I ready for the life that Jesus has called me to? Am I ready to put my faith to the test?

If you have ever played on any sort of team you understand how much work and effort it takes. You spend numerous hours practicing, perfecting the skills you are good at and improving the ones that you lack. When it comes to game time, you hope that your hard work has paid off. You eagerly warm up and sit on the bench, hoping that the coach will put you in. The moment that the coach yells your name, you start to question whether or not your hard work and skills will pay off. Rather then spending time dwelling on it, you go into the game and play with what you have. 

Let's look at this from a Christian perspective. We are the players, or God's servants, and Christ is the coach. We spend our lives following Jesus, trying to imitate his life to the best of our ability. We spend plenty of time sitting on the bench, waiting for Jesus to loudly call out his purpose to us. When Jesus calls us or leads a certain way we question whether or not we have the ability to live the life he has called us. But then we learn that whether we are ready or not, life comes and has struggles and triumphs. Jesus gives us things that we must overcome with Him. 

I've been learning that we have to be ready at all times. No, we will not and cannot live perfect lives as Jesus did, for we are sinners of the world. However, with that said, it is our duty to be ready for whatever Jesus calls us to. I have been encouraged by others and the Word to keep on keeping on. The Lord has things planned for our lives that we do not have planned for ourselves. It is our duty as Christ followers that we are in the Word constantly and have a good prayer life. When things happen in life whether good or bad, you will be ready.

Here I Am.

College has begun and my new lifestyle is in full swing. My clothes and things are settled in, yet my heart and soul are not. My eyes and mind are wandering, searching for the next place to settle in. I began attending a new church on Sunday, and my heart began to find a new church to call home. The Lord quickly captured my attention with a message that my heart and soul so desperately needed to hear and that message was this: 

Life following Jesus is a crooked road. Yes, we are called to live on the straight and narrow path, absolutely true. But do we honestly think that life following Jesus will be easy? If you are a Christian, your answer should be no. We have to come to the realization that our lives are going to be messy; you could even go as far as saying they will be miserable sometimes. Sure, the Lord will bless us in bountiful ways. But along with blessings and triumph comes suffering and confusion. We often wonder why: 

As a young Christian woman, I am searching for my future. I feel that God's purpose is so clear, yet I am still wandering through the fogginess of life. I see bits and pieces of my future, but never the whole thing. I know it is near, so why is it so hard for me to grasp it? These past few weeks I have been searching my heart and letting my guard down.

I am searching through the canyon.

It is your name that I am calling.

Though you're so far away 

I know you hear my plea 

Why won't you answer me? 

Here I am.
Here I am.
- Emmylou Harris, "Here I am."