I’LL TAKE DESSERT FIRST—OR IS IT DESERT?

God loves dessert—or He just really loves His kids.  I’ll go with both.  And He’s as sweet as it gets.  Here’s why I think so.  

About a week ago I zoomed down the road, trying to follow the speed limit while my mind was racing 90-to-nothing. I was in full-throttle faith mode, eager to begin my year-long study on the life of Moses.

Even more, I couldn’t wait to meet the fifteen women God entrusted me to shepherd. We’d soon be crinkling through the pages, sailing down the Nile, trodding through the desert, shaking sand from our sassy sandals, and then finally lapping up some milk ‘n honey while we chomped on His promises.

The first day’s always my favorite.  I just HAVE to be there.  It’s the chance to bond, set the scene, and melt the ice.  So I was riding high, and looking like I’d arrive early—now that’s a miracle already.

And then came the speed bump.  Right before the call.  And the u-turn.

“Mrs. Hughes, can you come pick up your daughter, she just vomited in the hall. She’s fine now, but you still need to get her.”  I exhaled, thankful that she was OK, and then shifted into gear.  Surely there was somebody to call.  And a way I could meet my ladies, and then go get my girl.

I tried plan A.  It failed.  B followed suit.  And then there was C.  Just me.  Arguing with God. “But you kneeeew how much I wanted to be there.  You know how I don’t like to let people down.  And I just thanked you for the healthy kids—and all the green lights.”

And then I went where it hurts.  “You know if you hadn’t taken Mom, I could’ve called her.  She’d have been there. In a New York second. I know it.  She should be with me right NOW. Thanks alot.”  Oh yeah, I went there.  Straight for my jugular—careening for the ditch.

How can we—or maybe it’s just me—be so full of faith, on top of the mountain one minute, and then down in the dumps the next?

Ironically, the opening lesson was about the multi-mamas God provided Moses.  The one by birth and the one by destiny—and God’s plan.  A faith-filled mama held her baby for what seemed like a minute so that God’s kids could finally taste freedom in His great plan of eternity.  An example of trusting Him—even when His plans collide with ours. So I picked myself up, and then I picked up my girl.

The secretary shared that my daughter had been crying—not because she was sick, but because she didn’t want to miss school.  She never even made it into her class.  Oh, how I felt her pain.  Like daughter, like mother.

And then this is where it finally got sweet.  All comfy on the couch, my little mini me aimed her brown, puppy dog eyes at me and said, “Mommy, thank you for taking care of me.”

I wouldn’t have wanted to miss that minute—or God’s plan—for the world. 

So yesterday I belatedly led my first Bible study this Fall.   It was bittersweet, but with honey on top.  We’ll soon be digging our way through the desert—but first came dessert.  Literally.

One of my ladies had visited her mom in Metairie, right outside of New Orleans, the day before.  I’d mentioned that I used to love a certain coffee shop and a sweet dish on the menu.  “You should take your mom there,” I said.  So when she walked into the classroom, she served up a smile followed with, “I brought you a treat.”

When I saw what it was, I just about poured my tears into a bag of buttery sweetness.  Because what I hadn’t told her was that this dessert was the last one I’d shared with my mama. Just weeks before she left.  We never met a bread pudding we didn’t devour, or a latte we didn’t slurp to the very bottom.

Also on the menu had been me sharing my fears, along with God’s promises. And Mom sharing her wisdom—as strong and as stern—as the coffee.  I blinked back tears of that memory and said, “Now that’s what I call a treat straight from Heaven.”

I thanked her—and my sweet Savior—for dessert and the even sweeter reminder that my praying mama was with me after all.  Now it just doesn’t get much sweeter than that.

I can’t wait to dip my sandals into my land of promise—and my spoon into white chocolate bread pudding—made with milk and honey.

On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. Ezekiel 20:6

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8

Comment below to share a time when God showed up with the dessert of His presence when you encountered some bittersweet moments in the desert.

Thanks for walking and reading along with me.  It would sure bless me if you’d subscribe to my weekly emailed blog posts, and I’ll bless you right  back with a free printable—and some sugary encouragement.