One Memorable Meal

“Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She said to Him, ‘Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.’ But Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?’ They said to Him, ‘We are able.’ He said to them, ‘My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.’ And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’” Matthew 20:20-28

Six-year-old Brandon had watched his mother make pancakes often enough that he was sure he could do it too, so one morning he decided he’d make breakfast for his parents. He found a big bowl, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard, and pulled out the heavy flour canister. But it tipped over onto the floor. Undaunted, Brandon scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, then mixed in most of a cup of milk, and added some sugar. Then he broke a couple of eggs into the batter, getting only a little egg shell into the mix.

By this time, both he and his kitten were leaving floury tracks on the kitchen floor and Brandon was getting frustrated. This was supposed to be a very special treat form Mom and Dad, but things were not going well. Suddenly he saw the kitten licking from the bowl. But as he reached to push her away, he knocked the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up the damage, but he slipped on the broken eggs and got his pajamas all smeared with the sticky mess. And he didn’t know what to do next.

Brandon was ready to cy anyway - and then he saw his dad standing in the doorway. It was too much, and the tears flowed. He was sure a big scolding was coming, and maybe even a spanking. But his father came to him, picked him up, and hugged him - even though it meant getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process.

That’s how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky, or we insult a friend, or we can’t stand our job, or our health goes sour. Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can’t think of anything else to do. That’s when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us. But just because we might mess up, we can’t stop trying to “make pancakes” for God or for others. Sooner or later we’ll get it right, and then God and others will be glad we tried.