Every family has its own stories. My daughter sent me this picture today because it reminded her of one of ours. Years ago, when the children were small, I was working and couldn’t attend Vacation Bible School at our church, so I asked the director if there was some other way I could help. The theme for that year was “Jesus, Our Shepherd, so she asked me to make a lamb cake. She even had the cake pan to lend me. Now, as I’ve said previously, crafts and art are not my talent (A Tip for Pastors) but I agreed. How hard could it be?
As you’ve probably surmised, my cake turned out looking a lot like the one on the bottom of the image. In fact, my cake would not even stand up! (thankfully, the kind VBS teachers assumed I did that on purpose, so it would be easier to cut– lol) And I actually ended up making three cakes, trying to “perfect” my technique — or at least come up with a cake wouldn’t be a complete embarrassment. And in the process I became pretty grouchy with my husband and children
The moral of this story (which I often tell) is this — know your gifts. We’re not all the same. Of course, we can all sometimes do things that stretch us and help us grow beyond our comfort zones. For example, I like to write, and that has led me to speak in front of groups so I could share something I have written (not easy for a quiet introvert). But there are some things we probably shouldn’t do. The lamb cake was one for me.
For more about spiritual gifts see:
Let Your Spiritual Gifts S–T–R–E–T–C–H You
Lutheran Ladies Connection 