Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Contest Winner and The Easy Bake Oven

Good morning everyone!  Yesterday was one of the best days of my life.  Turning 40 was something I looked forward to but dreaded in some respects but God is so cool that He will put women into your life that can model what being 40 and 45 and 50 and 60+ is supposed to look like and these are women that do it with grace and style and joy in their heart.  No matter how old we are there are women that have gone before and that we can look to to come alongside and take that next step, but don't forget as you are looking forward, there are women coming along behind you.  That's why you have two hands, one to reach forward, and one to reach behind.  That way we all get further on this journey of life together.


Speaking of moving along on the journey.  The winner of the contest yesterday was #4 Mama C (Carol).  Congratulations Carol!!!  Thank you for sharing your favorite birthday!  Get ready because the book, "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God." is going to rock your world. 

Thank you to everyone else who played!  The book is available at C3 in The Source so stop by there and get a copy, or two, or three.  They are 9.99 and are great gifts too. 

Sorry, don't mean to sound like an Infomoricial but it really is an amazing read. 



On to the story of the Easy Bake Oven.  For my 40th birthday yesterday my WH (wonderful husband) and DD (darling daughter) gave me with an Easy Bake Oven. 

I mention in my testimony that growing up I got everything I needed and almost all that I wanted but that I was still coping with not getting an Easy Bake Oven (EBO), it is mentioned in humor and is a way that people can connect with me.  I love to make people laugh and the best way to do that is to pull from your own life.  But anyway.... 

We all have things in our life from childhood on through our teenage years that we didn't get, okay, most of us do.  My parents gave me so much and yes I was spoiled but in that secret corner of my heart as a child it was the EBO that held all the happiness in the world.  The EBO would give me popularity, it would make all my friends want to come over and play at my house, it would give me the pass I thought I needed to become a "cool kid", not to mention I could bake those awesome cakes in my room and how neat would that be?  The world said I needed the EBO to become truly happy.  Sears WishBook said I needed it, the commercials on Saturday morning cartoons said I needed it, and dag-on-it, the girl next door had one and she was older and cooler and I wanted to be like her!  (Does any of this sound familiar?)

But I didn't get an EBO.  They certainly have changed in 35 years haven't they?


My parents were fully aware of how accident prone their little girl was and the EBO required electricity, very hot light bulbs, and a daughter who was easily distracted and just a bit clumsy, okay, I said I would be honest on my blog no matter what and I can trip over a wind gust, okay? These things are not a good combination and I was likely to suffer 3rd degree burns or burn our house down.   They put those warnings on electrical applicances for a reason, and I could just see me thinking that taking my EBO in the bathroom to make a cake while I soaked in the tub was a win/win situation (hey, I was 5, gimme a break).  But my parents knew better. 

I talk about the EBO, not because of the oven itself , but to make a point . We have all been children who have been denied something. It might have been due to the cost or the impracticality of it. For most of us that denial comes out of love from others who are older and wiser. We can focus on what we can't have and allow that to take our joy away, or we can be thankful that there are others who care enough about us to say no.

You don't explain to a child all the ins and outs of why and why not they can't have something you just say, "No." but then my amazing mom brought me into the kitchen and sat me on the counter and taught me how to cook at a real oven with real appliances.  She gave me the beaters and she gave me the bowl and the spoon to lick afterwards but more importantly she gave me time and attention that 100 EBO's could never have given me (not to mention kept us out of more doctor's offices).  My parents knew what was right for their daughter. 

Guess what?  The God of the Universe loves us so much that sometimes He says no because He knows better then anyone what is best for each of us.  Do not allow your life to lose it's shine, do not allow your heart to lose it's joy, and do not allow your mind to dwell on what you see as a rejection when God says no, because if you listen, you will probably hear Him say, "No because I have something better."  He wants to spend time with you, to teach you and to help you to live the life that He has given you and not a fake one.

I still love to bake and I still lick the bowl and honestly I feel a little resentful when I have to give my daughter the beater (just being real here).   She and I are going to have a blast with my EBO and there will be laughter and stories to tell, but it will also be a reminder to me that sometimes what God has for us is so much MORE then what the world around us tries to convince us that we will never be complete without ______.  What was/is your Easy Bake Oven?


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