For several years prior to my move to Arkansas, my aunt and I would get together for about six to eight consecutive weekends, twice a year, and I would assist her in decorating hundreds of sugar cookies that would eventually be arranged in baskets and sold. The proceeds were used to purchase blankets for the poor and homeless. My initial job was to take the baked cookies that had been cut out in a variety of different shapes, and spread a base coat of frosting on them. As my aunt gained confidence in my frosting abilities, I graduated to more difficult tasks, such as outlining and the precise detail work. I never became the "cookie artist" that my Aunt Darlene was, but the hours spent hunched over cookies that would one day be displayed in either Thanksgiving or Easter baskets and the patience that my aunt showed, improved my cookie decorating skills.

As I sat at my aunt's table ready to frost, I noticed that every baked cookie wasn't always alike the rest in its appearance. Some grew fatter as they baked, other cookies were darker than others, and a few even broke as they were slid off the cookie sheet to cool. But no matter what the outside appearance looked like, I quickly learned that frosting covers a multitude of cookie baking errors, making it look like any other cookie on the plate.

How much different are we than frosted sugar cookies on a platter? Our outside appearance varies from person to person, and sometimes we try our best to hide what we perceive as flaws with clothes that make us look thinner or taller. We have the ability to change our eye or hair color, or pay someone to sculpt body parts to better please ourselves and others. Our pride is what is being reflected in the mirror, instead of God's workmanship!

How blessed we are that God doesn't use identical cookie cutters to mold us into who we are, even though we were all made with the same building block, dust! (For he knows how we were formed, he remembers we are but dust. Psalm 103: 14) We have been blessed with a variety of special gifts and abilities to spread the message of Christ's birth and salvation from our sins. Instead of covering up or minimizing our differences, we should thank God for he is constantly equipping us to strengthen and edify His kingdom here, within our own neighborhoods, and where we work.

We create baked masterpieces that are scrumptious to eat and win all kinds of awards through our efforts, but when we look at the world our heavenly Father has created and the marvelous and intricate details of our physical being, we recognize who truly is in control and always has our best interest in mind. And the "frosting" that is patiently and generously spread on each of us, is the blood of Christ, which makes us look perfect in the eyes of God.

Enjoying the ride,

Jane