“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15).
Grandson #3 sat pushing his pancake pieces around on his plate with a bewildered look on his face. Grandson #2 was eating his pancakes but silently wondering what was wrong. No one said a word until Becky, their mom, took a bite of hers. Was it the syrup? Something didn’t taste right and we were trying to figure out what it was.
Grandson #3 said, “I ate some and it didn’t taste too bad, but there was a bad taste in my mouth afterwards.”
Grandson #2 said, “I thought something wasn’t right, but didn’t want to be rude so I ate them. I figured it wouldn’t hurt me.”
I finally took a bite and looked again at the recipe. The pancakes certainly didn’t taste like they were suppose to taste. They were almost bitter! I soon discovered my mistake. I’d used baking soda instead of baking powder! Of course, being the good grandmother that I try to be, I mixed up another batch and started over. Thankfully, I got them cooked and we were eating them before the power went out for the second time in two days!
I apologized and was forgiven for my mistake. I’ve made that recipe many times before – successfully. This time I did not give the making of the pancakes my careful attention. I’d already made a batch of brownies and had macaroni and cheese cooking in the crock pot. The Sipes Family reunion was at noon and my time was short and apparently my brain power was as well. I don’t multi-task as well as I used to. And my kitchen was in a mess!
As I thought about what lesson I was learning from all this I remembered that the Bible tells us to be careful how we live. We get too busy. We have messes. We make mistakes and sometimes lose our power. But as God’s people we have a responsibility to live carefully and make the most of our opportunities. Others are watching us. My constant prayer is that my grandchildren will see good examples to follow, whether it’s their parents, grandparents, or other Christians who are involved in their lives.
When we answered the question “what’s wrong with the pancakes?” I went about the business of correcting my mistake. Sometimes I have to ask a similar question about my life. “What’s wrong with my life?” That, too, may require a correction or an apology. Thankfully God is willing to forgive me when I get careless and make mistakes.
When Joshua knew it was time for his death he reminded God’s people to “be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law” and to “be very careful to love the Lord your God” (Joshua 23:6, 11). Good to remember!
Ouch! I’m identifying far too much with the pancake business. At this age (UGH!), paying attention can be a lot of work. May my priority be paying attention to God and His Will for my days and nights.
Blessings all over those two grandsons!
I knew there was a good blog in that experience! Funny then and now as I read this to Austin( Grandson # 1)
So true. We do sometimes get so busy we forget what we are really doing. When what we need is to focus on what God’s will and direction tells us to do. Thankfully God will always be there and will always forgive us for being side tracked. We need only ask.