There’s a certain glow in a person’s heart when it’s his or her birthday. For some reason, when we celebrate our birthdays, we experience a different kind of joy, peace, and contentment throughout the day. We tend to smile more, radiate positive vibes around us, give more, worry less, and the list goes on.
Last week, I celebrated my 23rd birthday and interestingly, God allowed me to experience indescribable peace that day even if I had to finish chores at 5:30 in the morning, only had 2 hours of sleep, and was late for work because of the first two things I just mentioned. It was actually a very good day for me and I thank God for it.
For my birthday treat, I brought some of my favorite desserts to the office: dozens of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and fresh strawberries. I usually bring plain strawberries to the office whenever we have extra at home, but this time, I decided to coat them in white and semi-sweet chocolate for a change.
While I was at Cooks’ Exchange, I asked one of the staff members where the chocolate for melting/dipping was. He pointed to a number of baskets filled with various chocolate bars and chocolate chips. Then, he said “Ma’am, since you’re melting chocolate for strawberries, I suggest that you use chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips, because the bars were made for melting and the chips were made to retain their shape in baked goods.”
And so, I bought bars of white and semi-sweet chocolate and melted them at home using a double broiler.
Although it took extra effort to carefully melt the chocolate and dip the berries in it, I really enjoyed making the chocolate-covered strawberries because it was amazing to see the chocolate quickly harden and take the shape of the fruit.
As I was preparing the sweet treats, I realized that the chocolate really needed to go through the melting process in order for me to have chocolate-covered berries. If I wanted to make this dessert, I couldn’t just shred the chocolate bars and press them on the fruit. The chocolate bars needed to change its form to liquid so that it can stick to the fruit, which would then result to my desired dessert.
Somehow, God reminded me that in the same way, Jesus needed to go through his melting process too (suffering, pain, sacrifice, and resurrection) so that we can experience an intimate relationship with God for eternity. Only Jesus was destined to do so.
Romans 5:8 says “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This gentle reminder comforted my heart that night (which was the night before my birthday) because God used it to reassure me of His indescribable love for me. And as I celebrate my 23 years of existence in a world where pain, uncertainties and discouragements are also evident, I am reminded to place my security and hope in the One who knows and loves me the most – and that is, Jesus. :)
Thank You, Jesus, for another year with you. Thank you for going through the melting process for me and for reminding me that because of Your grace, I am worth melting for. Only a love like Yours can make my heart glow. Only a love like Yours can motivate me to live each day for You. :)
I love how God randomly reveals Himself to us through nature. Nowadays, I rarely get to see sunsets, but when I do, my heart melts because I am reminded of God’s beauty and greatness. Also, whenever I witness seeds grow into fruit-bearing trees, I am amazed because only He can do such a wonderful thing. It really is a delight to experience God through these simple things. Just recently, He gave me another opportunity to get to know Him more while I was experimenting with one of His fruity creations: ORANGES!
I couldn’t find the photos of the ones I made, but they looked like the Jell-O smiles in this photo. (Taken from http://quick-dish.tablespoon.com/)
A few months ago, I saw random people making Jell-O orange wedges in the internet and I fell in love with the idea. What a simple, delicious, and delightful treat! And so, I bought oranges and packs of Jell-O.
Making the JELL-O Wedges/Smiles involves the following steps:
SLICE THE ORANGES IN HALVES.
GENTLY SCOOP OUT THE FRUIT. (You may also use the fruit as a dressing for your salad or as an ingredient in your juices/shakes, etc.)
DISSOLVE THE JELL-O POWDER IN HOT AND COLD WATER.
POUR INTO THE ORANGE MOLD.
CHILL IN THE REFRIGERATOR FOR 4 HOURS OR MORE.
SLICE INTO WEDGES/SMILES.
I really enjoyed preparing the Jell-O smiles because the steps were really simple. However, in the process of doing so, I unintentionally created holes in 3 of the orange molds that I had. While I was scooping the fruit out, the “inner orange peel” also came out, as seen in the photo below.
I tried to stuff crumpled foil in it and under it to prevent the Jell-O from pouring out. But, after preparing and chilling the molds, it still leaked and I ended up with half-filled Jell-O smiles.
In the same way, God used this moment to remind me of the importance of surrendering every part of me and my life to Him. Because even a tiny hole in my life, a hint of sin, or anything that hinders me from knowing, loving, and obeying God will cause me to have a half-filled, mediocre life.
I praise God for His goodness because we have hope in Him always. It says in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Our God, who created us, also desires that we live our lives with Him abundantly. And because of His grace, we can experience this fullness of life when we humble ourselves before Him and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.
I pray that we won’t settle for a ‘half-filled life’, because God deserves the best! He deserves our best effort, time, resources, and praises. He deserves to be honored with hearts that are totally surrendered to Him and lives that are committed to Him. :)
I know that the same God who paints beautiful sunsets and makes fruit-bearing trees grow, can also wonderfully work in our hearts and lives for our good and for His glory! Indeed, nothing is impossible with Him.
I opened the refrigerator a few minutes ago and saw a container filled with pink, plump, and peeled pomelo wedges. It was a lovely sight! I always enjoy eating the sweet and sometimes sour, juicy fruit. I like pomelo, but, I have to say that peeling the fruit does require a lot of effort. However, I’ve learned that God can use even the most random things, like peeling fruits, to speak to us and encourage our hearts.
The last time I peeled a pomelo was when one of my sisters and I watched Fantastic Four at home. At that moment, I wondered why it was so complicated to peel the fruit. I mean, God could have made pomelos like bananas, so that we can easily peel them too! But as I continued to peel and eat the fruit, I found myself being more amazed by the fact that God DID make pomelos the way they are because He is God! He knows best. :) The thick pomelo skin, the Vitamin C and potassium in it, the thin inner peels that protect the fruit, and even the juicy fruit itself are all part of his plan when He thought of creating it.
It reminded me so much of how creative, indescribably intelligent, and awesome our God is as a Creator! He could have made the pomelo fruit with just one layer of covering, but He didn’t. He carefully designed and thought about it when He made the pomelo. And it amazes me to see how He can use fruits too to remind us of who He is in our lives.
“Those who know your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” – Psalm 9:10
I realized that just like how I reacted and got easily frustrated with the hassle of peeling the pomelo, I still sometimes find myself dwelling on negative thoughts about me, others, or the situations I am in. Sometimes, I am even tempted to complain about how “complicated” life is too, or I tend to compare myself to other “bananas” and “fruits” out there. But, God encouraged me to focus on who He is.
“What we believe about God is crucial because it affects what we believe about everything else.” – Nancy Leigh DeMoss
When I started to think about God being an amazing Creator of the pomelo fruit, I slowly began to appreciate the process of peeling it. I appreciated the fruit more, even if it had a lot of “complications”. It was a good reminder for me to dwell on God’s Character than on me and my “complications in life”. Life is about who God is and what He has done for us.
God made us exactly the way He wants us to be.
God made us because He loves us.
What characteristic of God would you like to dwell on today? :)
An avocado smoothie has always been a sweet, creamy, and refreshing treat at home. My mom usually prepares the dessert and we love it! Recently, I decided to make the yummy smoothie to beat the Summer heat.
avocado smoothie
A few days after buying the avocados, I noticed that they were already a bit soft. When my fingers gently pressed the fruit, it created a small dent and so I figured it was time to cut them open. As I was preparing the dessert, I was having a hard time removing the avocado meat from the skin. I told myself: “That’s weird. Usually, the meat would easily come off. Oh well. I’ll be blending them anyway.”
scooping out avocado meat
To my dismay, I ended up with a bitter avocado smoothie. Once I tasted it, I immediately spat it out of my mouth because of its awful, bitter taste. Even if I added more sugar, it still tasted bitter. So, I decided to throw the batch that I made and pretended as if nothing happened. I didn’t even tell my mom (who bought the avocados) that I used and threw them away.
I was so frustrated because I made a mistake even if the avocado smoothie recipe that I used at that time was also the one I used before (when I made successful smoothies). I found myself thinking of thoughts like: “Your mom’s money was wasted. It was a simple dessert yet you still made a mistake. You’re such a failure.” And it was crazy!
adding milk to the avocados
I decided to pause and talk to God. I shared to Him what happened and what went wrong. I knew that even before I made the mistake, He already knew it would happen. And because I know that He is sovereign, it was really easy for me to talk and listen to Him. After doing so, I decided to tell mom the truth and admit my mistake. I told her how I failed to use the avocados well and that I wanted to pay for the avocados that I wasted. I knew I had to learn from my mistake. What happened next caused my heart to melt. Mom said “It’s okay, anak. You don’t have to pay for the avocados.”
Such grace! At that time, I actually did not have extra money to pay for it and it was really just God’s grace that mom decided to pay for the avocados still.
mixing the avocado
When I asked God why He allowed me to fail at that moment, I heard an answer from Him that I did not expect. “You ask me why, Nic? Because it’s cool to fail.” He said.
“WHAT? Lord? How can it be cool to fail?” I said. Then, throughout our conversation, He made me realize the following:
1. He uses our “fail moments” to bring us closer to Him.
The moment that I had with God after failing with my avocado smoothie was really a blessing to me. I got to know Him more as I read His word again and listened to some Christian Contemporary songs that helped me focus more on Him than on my mistake.
It says in Lamentations 3:22-23:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.”
“They are new every morning. New every morning. New every morning…” I decided to replace those negative thoughts in my head with His Word and it was really encouraging.
avocado mixture
2. He uses our “fail moments” to help us improve ourselves for His glory.
“You failed! It was awesome!”
“A toast for his brilliant failure, may it lead to success in the future.”
“From failing, you learn. From success, not so much.”
Are these quotes familiar? These were taken from one of my favorite movies: MEET THE ROBINSONS! :) It was encouraging to see in the movie how it was okay to fail as long as you learn from your past mistakes, make improvements, and keep on doing your best as you move forward.
Meet the Robinsons (taken from Google Images)
It’s cool to improve ourselves, but personally, more than that, I’m learning to improve for God and not for my own glory. :)
1 Corinthians 10:31
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”
-Henry Ford
Because I failed while I was making my avocado smoothie, I now know how crucial it is to cut the avocados only when it is the right time. I also learned how it is important to ask others who are more skilled in that area before I experiment because they can definitely help me be more efficient and effective. Lastly, I learned to honor God even in the way I use the money, time, energy, and other resources that He has given me.
blending the avocado smoothie
3. He uses our “fail moments” to humble us and show us that He is God.
When I was making the avocado smoothie, I remember thinking that I knew what I was doing since I was able to make it before. God showed me the hint of pride in my heart that He did not want to see. Truly, it was a humbling experience. But, I am so grateful that despite my pride, God still is God. God is gracious, faithful, sovereign, and He will continue to love us just the same.
Matthew 23:12
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.”
avocado smoothie
4. He uses our “fail moments” to encourage us to persevere and focus on Him… even if we may fail again and again.
Last night, I decided to try making the avocado smoothie again, but this time, I waited longer than I did before. I cut them only when they were ripe and ready. There were also moments when the taste of the bland, avocado fruit “haunted my tongue”. I didn’t feel like continuing the process because I was afraid to fail again. I didn’t want to make another bitter dessert.
However, by God’s grace, I was able to make a yummy avocado smoothie! Last night, it was really sweet, creamy, and refreshing. I loved it!
avocado smoothie
1 Chronicles 16:11
“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.”
“Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
-Mary Pickford
“Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
-Samuel Beckett
avocado smoothie
While I was enjoying my yummy, chilled, creamy avocado smoothie, I remember telling God: “Wow Lord! It definitely is COOL to FAIL! Thank You for encouraging me to just keep on doing my best for You! Even when I experience failure in making an avocado smoothie, in cooking/baking, in my career, in relationships, in my personal walk with You, or in other things, I am reminded to get back up and try again. Your mercies are new every morning. You will forever be faithful and gracious. Thank You.” :)
Mom and the avocado popsicle
RECIPE:
2 ripe avocados
1/4 cup fresh milk
3-4 tablespoons of white sugar/honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
10 pcs. ice cubes (size: 2×1)
*You can adjust the amounts of milk and sugar (depending on your preferred taste)
HOW TO MAKE THE SMOOTHIE:
1. Cut each avocado in half and remove the seed. Carefully scoop out the avocado meat and cut into large cubes.
2. Using a blender, combine the avocados, sugar/honey, milk and vanilla extract until well-mixed and creamy. Add the ice cubes and blend.
3. Serve in a glass. Enjoy!
NOTES:
1. Ripe avocado meat can EASILY be removed from the skin.
2. Unripe avocados are really bitter. You will know if an avocado is ripe if you gently press on the shoulder part (top part) of the avocado and feel dents (after pressing) or feel that it is soft. Of course, the whole avocado must also have the same feel. It must not be firm or too mushy.
3. Try to remove brown spots or veins in your avocados. These contribute to the bitter taste.
My name is Nicole Obligacion and I started this blog because I was inspired by Hebrews 10:24 and Hebrews 3:13. I love to eat, cook, bake, read the Bible, and encourage. :)
