Why is college football so cozy? I have NO idea why I have a sense of urgency to watch it but I do. I have zero clue what is happening apart from a touchdown here and there and a first down. Seriously. But tonight when people were rushing home to watch it, I caught myself frantically checking my watch to see the time. I wanted to make kick off. Hilarious. Maybe it’s the thought that maybe someone will be serving rotel and chips.

Anyway.

Fenley started school two weeks ago. She loves it. I love it. Walt loves it. It was time for all of us. I am thrilled when she comes home and thrilled that she’s excited to go. Makes my heart so happy.

But that means I have had a lot of time to think. Glory to God… He has trained me in my thinking. Used to that would be BAD BAD BAD news. But now my thinking has more of a “freak out, remember truth, sense peace, talk with Jesus, breathe deep, and settle into grace” pattern to it. I’m grateful. Looong road to get there, but God is faithful and will provide peace when we seek it with all that we can muster. 

For example… I’ve decided life and walking with Jesus through life is a lot like baking macarons. I have this awesome/neurotic/hilarious mental picture. It’s of me trying to bake a perfect batch of macarons to the glory of God. Just to simply use my gifts and give it my all to make this batch turn out just right. Because He is a good God who has been so good to me… least I could do is bake Him a decent batch of macarons 🙂 But no matter what you do with macarons, some from every batch just won’t turn out. Such is life, right? Well… Jesus is the kind of Savior that will sit in the floor with you, eat the reject macarons with you while you pass the chocolate ganache back and forth, tell you awesome wisdom filled stories and belly laugh til you cry together then rub your back while you sob about missing your baby boy. So yeah. He takes me as is. Just like the reject macarons aren’t perfect… they still taste the same.  And I’m so far from perfect. Yet He takes me… a self professed reject, not fit for presentation. And He makes me beautiful and says I’m worthy. And not only worthy, but fun to hang out with. This makes my heart soar. Thanks for indulging that little mental picture. It made sense in my head! Haha.

Love the testimony in Luke chapter 8 about the man possessed by a legion of demons. He was an outcast, living among graves, unclothed. Jesus met him and suddenly he’s “sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind”. I’m sorry, but who gets THAT testimony in our life? What or who gives us the illusion of fixing us??? What makes us a better sister, wife, daughter, mother, father, student, teacher, baker? Beg Jesus that He would show you that He can meet you where you are, redress you in His grace and set your mind right. He’s the only true fix. The man literally begged to go on with Jesus and Jesus actually told him to go HOME (Jesus doesn’t always call us to a foreign mission field!) and “tell how much God has done for you. So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” 

I hope and pray that right this second Jesus would start or continue the story in You that is worthy of you running “home” to tell what all God has done for you. In Christ ALONE. Discover your own marvelous story with God and pray that I continue to discover mine. He’s enough.

On a fun note… I got to collaborate with my sweet friend Kimberly for an order of sweets. She does cupcakes, I do macarons. And a precious husband called and asked if I could make macarons into a cake. So this is what we came up with… We kept texting each other saying, is this real life??? That we are getting to collaborate with baking??? It was just too fun! Now just to talk her into opening a bakery with me!!!! (Kimberly – this is to apply peer pressure on you to open a bakery with me. Just FYI)

Below are the yummy concoctions we came up with. Chocolate cupcakes, Peanut Butter Buttercream topped with a Chocolate Peanut Butter French Macaron…thoroughly pleased! I feel like if the macarons were a tiny bit smaller they would be perfect. But I tend to get a lil OCD about my macs.

Good night, sweet dreams, sleep great…

Lauren Masa