Today I made an egg free cake! It was almost dairy free, but alas, I used dairy butter as that was all I had. Whilst this was not a big deal in the age of vegans, vegetarians and all manner of ‘free from’ foods; it was a very big deal for me. Being an awesome baker and cake decorator, I love baking with large free range eggs and full fat milk among other over indulgent ingredients. But during these desperate times, many of us don’t readily have all the ingredients in our homes, so we have to adapt to our new environment. The panic buyers wiped out my local shops so eggs suddenly became an endangered species and with one egg in my fridge I decided to make my very first cake without eggs. As I searched online for a recipe, with the idea developing in my head, I decided to use coconut milk instead of cow’s milk, but I was scuppered with the butter, I only had my faithful stork in the fridge so no dairy free option.
Vegan and ‘free from’ cakes were definitely on my radar for the future, but being faced with unprecedented and unforeseen circumstances, the future arrived a little earlier than anticipated. I used the creative mind that God blessed me with and came up with an alternative. Not quite vegan, not quite dairy free but somewhere in the middle… and it was gorgeous!
I have found that my most creative moments and often the birth of a talent or a new direction in my life, have almost always been born out of the greatest struggles that I was faced with, and this time is no exception. Isolation, quarantine, social distancing, is the new norm and we have to find a way to make these moments count! Many have died and many more will die before life can return to normal. Families are grieving because their loved ones were taken so suddenly and alone, they were not able to be there for them. We are still alive, we have hope in the God who created us, who sent His Son Jesus to die for us and who rose again from that death! How long this will continue remains to be seen; but this silent killer will not be hurried on it’s journey. Sitting at home vegetating is not an option. We must use this time wisely. Where there is life there is hope and we can do wonders with it. “We will get through this.”
What about that book you have been threatening to write for decades, or the one you have been trying to read for months. And for us Christians, what about that Bible – yes that one. The one that is food for our spirit and teaches us of the signs of the times and what to do when things like the Coronavirus hits; giving us hope in perilous times. Encourage someone who is not coping very well, or start that exercise regime on your living room floor, up and down the stairs or in your back garden. If life got in the way before, use this time wisely now. How about putting some quality time into studies or time to reflect! This very unusual time is unparalleled and although we hope never to experience it again, we must remain positive, hopeful and expectant.
We have the ability to adapt to our circumstances, so dig deep. Focus on the positives that can come out of this situation and not on the negatives. Look to the only One who has the answers and can guide you through. The world was on one path and now we are on another and will never be the same when we arise from this situation. But we know with certainty that WE WILL ARISE from it!
Verse for today
Romans 5:3-5 NIV
3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Make it count!
