Lately I have struggled with feeling down, maybe even depressed. All the things that have happened in the past year have really been difficult for me to handle. So the other morning I prayed and asked the Lord to help me get past it, help me to rise above and give me something to smile about.

Ken and I have a tradition that we allow ourselves one chocolate chip muffin a month, a special treat. We are weight watchers, but we also know never allowing yourself a treat can be self-defeating. In the past, we have purchased them at the local grocery store. But I have over the years developed a lot of food sensitivities, especially to genetically modified foods. So…I decided to make my own. I could make a batch and freeze them and take two out each month for us to enjoy. What could go wrong? I thought I could just use my favorite chocolate cake recipe and just add the chocolate chips. Easy, peasy, right?

So tonight I did just that. There is only one problem. The cake recipe I have uses boiling water. You pour the boiling water over the butter and then add the other ingredients. It’s a wonderful recipe, probably the best I have ever had. The only problem is when you add chocolate chips to hot batter, they melt! I had balls of melted chocolate mixed in the cake batter. Somehow I managed to spoon it into the cupcake liners, and they still taste good, even if the chocolate chips were melted blobs in the middle of the cupcakes!

Who knew God would answer my prayer by letting me do something that would let me laugh at myself? It was good and I am grateful. It just punched a big hole in the depression and deflated it. and it put things into perspective. It showed me that all is not lost, that life is still good. And it lifted my spirits and helped me forget the negative things that are happening around me. I felt God smiling at me and felt really loved by my Heavenly Father, who cares about me, and wants to bless me. He is a good, good Father and I am grateful.

This verse in my daily Bible reading this week really spoke to me and lifted my spirits:

22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Hebrews 10_22-24 KJV