It’s a good thing I’m not much of a cake lover. A little over two years ago, I was officially diagnosed with an egg white allergy; as a result, I cannot eat baked goods with egg whites in them, and this includes cake, of course. Over the past few months, I have explored alternative methods of baking, and I have found ways to bake with vegan substitutes. But since I live alone and would have to eat pretty much anything I baked, I only go through the effort of completing a recipe if I know I will have someone with which to share my treats.
But even though I don’t often like cake that much, there are some times I just want a taste— a sampling, if you will— most conveniently in the form of a cupcake. The “cupcake craze,” as I have come to call it, seems to be all over the U.S. right now. Celebrities and others often have cupcakes available at their events, like weddings for instance, and these personal little cakes are convenient, simple, and can even be quite artistic.
Recently, I have been intrigued by the Food Network show “Cupcake Wars,” so when I was given the opportunity to see a real-live bakery in person, I just had to see what the “cupcake craze” was all about. After running errands one day, a friend and I stopped at a bakery, deciding that we wouldn’t leave without sampling at least one cupcake. But to my disappointment, there were no vegan options, meaning no cupcake for me. But I figured one small taste of my friend’s cupcake wouldn’t hurt, so she broke off a piece of her red velvet treat, and I savored just two small bites.
I instantly realized my mistake; I began coughing and choking, and it was then that I comprehended there was probably egg white in the icing. Needless to say, the cupcake did not sustain me; in fact, it brought harm to me physically. I had to refrain from eating what remained on my napkin.
So where am going with all of this cake talk? Well, shortly after my disappointing ordeal, I came upon a quote from a radio deejay on Facebook which articulated: “The Bible is bread for daily use… Not cake for special occasions.” I found this to be so true upon reading it. Over the past few weeks, I had found myself floundering a bit in my personal relationship with Christ. I had fallen back in my times in prayer and even more so in my personal time of devotions. I had become bogged down in paperwork and practices for my work with YLF, and so often, my commitments to spend time in the Word and prayer fell by the wayside. I spent time with Him as it were something I could check off my list, much like the way I was completing tasks for YLF.
In my time apart from Him, I found myself craving something more substantial than tiny morsels— like cake— instead of the more life-sustaining bread of His Word. I hungered for the sustenance I had lost over the past few weeks, and I longed to return to my summer project in the Psalms. Now that I have pushed aside the most pressing commitments for YLF, I have been freed to return to what I truly love— something far more valuable than a simple, tasty cupcake. I am looking for a meal— something that I won’t reject due to an allergy. I want something more than a cupcake, and I am praying that in the coming weeks, I can return to what really matters.
cassiecontemplates 