Subject:  Pancakes

Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents
pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter,
opened the cupboard, and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it
on  the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands,
mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail
on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.  Brandon was
covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something
very good for his Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. He didn't  know
what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove, (and
he didn't know how the stove worked)!

Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and  reached to
push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried
to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his
pajamas white and sticky. And just then he saw Dad standing at the door.
Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was
something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was
coming, maybe even a spanking.

But his father just watched him. Then, walking through the mess, he picked
up his crying son, hugged him, and loved him, getting his own pajamas white
and sticky in the process.

That's how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it
turns into a mess sometimes. Our marriage gets all sticky, or we insult a
friend, or we can't stand our job, or our health goes sour. Sometimes we
just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to do.

That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some
of our mess gets all over Him. But just because we might mess up, we can't
stop trying to "make pancakes," for God or for others.

Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll be glad we tried...


Please pass some of this love on to others.