simple, but sweet

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A dear friend emailed me this bit of encouragement and I thought I'd pass it along to you...

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Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?"

or "Why did God have to do this to me?"

Here is an explanation that breaks it down in a wonderful way.

A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong,

she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her

and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter

if she would like a snack, and the daughter says,

"Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."

"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.

"Yuck" says her daughter.

" Ok, well how about a couple raw eggs?"

"Gross, Mom!"

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"

"Mom, those are all disgusting!"

To which the mother replies:

"Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves.

But when they are put together in the right way,

they make a wonderfully delicious cake! "

God works the same way.

Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad

and difficult times. But God knows that when

He puts these things all in His order,

they always work for good!

We just have to trust Him and, eventually,

they will all make something wonderful!

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Such a simple illustration, but it makes so much sense. Thank God there's a purpose for the trials He allows. The end result. The big picture. The sometimes uncomfortable, but necessary, parts of the journey leading us ever closer to the purpose and calling in our lives. The cake.

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By the way, Ethan's doing very well this week. The rash continues to flair up over his body, but it responds well to the medication. We're still working on getting him to eat more than just formula, but we're being patient and enjoying the small strides he makes on occasion. He sits up perfectly well on his own now, and can get to that position even when he's been crawling around on the floor. He's starting to show an interest in "pulling up", as well, which has been such an exciting experience in his overall development. He's such the star of our family! And an absolute blast to be around. He's so expressive and feisty! (wonder who he gets that from - *no comment* - however, if you ask Adam he'll gladly tell you it's me) Anyhoo, your prayers for us continue to prove God's faithfulness. As always, thank you so much for walking through each step with us.

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I pray we all get to see and enjoy the "cake" in our lives.