Coconut Cake in My Box

Cakes at our house usually come from a local grocery store well known for delicious cakes. They are always good, always beautifully decorated, and always perfect. Why try to outdo a good thing, right? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I decided to bake a homemade coconut cake for Easter dessert this year. I would impress the family with my cake-baking prowess. The cake was three layers and stood about eight inches high. The homemade cream cheese and cool whip icing looked scrumptious. I sprinkled coconut over the top and sides. The finished product: a thing of beauty--except for a few minor flaws, it leaned a little bit and had a slight lump on the top. But, it was a labor of love, and I knew the family would appreciate it. I hoped they wouldn't notice.

I took a picture of the cake on my phone and fowarded it to my children. Their responses made my heart swell with pride. "Wow, Mom, that's beautiful," one daughter responded. My son's comment, was "Cool." I strutted like a proud peacock.

After church the children and grandchildren gathered at our house for Easter lunch. My oldest grandson saw the cake sitting on the counter and asked, "Mimi, did you make that cake yourself?"

"Yes, I did, Kodster," I proudly replied.

"I thought so. It's kind of crooked. My mom showed me the picture last night, and I saw it leaning a little bit."

My strutting feathers folded.

I thought to myself that I should have done the usual thing and bought the cake from the grocery store deli; then it would be perfect, someone else's creativity would receive praise. I smiled and gave a sweet, grandmotherly reply, "That's okay, honey, it will still taste okay."

Then I thought, I'm glad I baked the cake myself. It showed my family how special they are to me. Not every cake has to be perfect to be good.

I am not much of a baker so my coconut cake was a labor of love, unlike the grocery store cake. Someone there bakes and decorates cakes for a living. The baker doesn't picture the faces of their family as the layers are iced and decorated. For them, it's just a job. For me, it was a way of expressing love for my family.

My cake mirrors us as humans. We have some lumps and bumps. Sometimes we even lean a little bit. But, we are God's workmanship and He is proud of us. Thankfully God doesn't stop using us because we have some shortcomings. Sure, we limp along in our faith walk on occasion, but He uses our imperfections to bring glory to His kingdom.

"For we are God's workmanship (masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Eph 2:10.