There we were driving down the road (I was a passenger) about an hour from home and my stomach started grumbling and I was really hoping no one would notice as then the jokes would start flying. My problem was that I had eaten very early and had worked constantly from then until we left, and so my body was looking for more sustenance. As I looked out my window it appeared that a piece of giant cheesecake was floating by followed by a giant piece of chocolate cheesecake! Boy, did that look good and I had to wonder…
Was I dreaming?Could I hijack the truck and steal some?
Well, I knew I was wide awake, and I couldn’t hijack the vehicle- not for some noble reason, but because with my ‘luck’ the truck would likely be full of liver and brussel sprouts… yuck on both accounts!!
Then I started thinking about how Christians are like cheesecake. (Yep, my mind works that way! J ) The very word cheesecake evokes a different image for each of us. Some people see yellow baked richness, others a variety of colours baked to perfection, and still others who imagine a creamy soft, gooey no-bake goodness, which just happens to be my favorite. Yum! True believers are like different kinds of cheesecake, made in different ways with a variety of ingredients. Life would be pretty boring without variety to provide interest. Also, the various flavours appeal to different people, so if the Lord is going to use the church to reach the lost, we need a selection of ingredients to reach the diversity of humanity.
So I’m thinking we should stop disagreeing over whether or not a cheesecake can be a cheesecake without being baked, or arguing over who has the best recipe, ingredients, or ingredient combination. We should just accept that every cheesecake is distinctive and therefore uniquely capable of serving its purpose. After all, it is the baker who decides which ingredients are to be added to the recipe. Our Father gave each of us varying gifts, talents, AND personalities, and He did that to fulfill His purposes. He even topped each of us off with unique, flavourful toppings. Isn’t He great!Perhaps we should just start doing what the Bible says:
Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Php 2:2, 3