All The Inspiration You Need for Today Can Be Found In A Scone
While baking scones (I promise, they aren’t hard to make), a funny conversation occurred in my head.
The scones began to complain about their size, the number of cranberries, and location on the tray.
· One scone said it wasn’t right that the other scone was skinnier.
· Another scone complained that she didn’t have as many cranberries.
· The one on the other side of the tray said she felt less loved because she didn’t get as much sugar.
On and on this conversation played out as I began to laugh. Scones don’t think that way.
But you and I do.
Comparison.
Discontent.
Complaints.
When I slid the tray into the oven, knowing every scone would be delicious no matter their size or number of cranberries, I paused.
Every scone is unique, and that’s what makes them beautiful. They are perfectly imperfect.
The same is true of you. God didn’t make a mistake when He created you. He says you are handcrafted to be a beautiful reflection of Him.
It’s our imperfections that reveal our special beauty.
If we were all alike, life would be boring. Just look at rows and rows of apartment buildings. If you like symmetry, you might enjoy it. But if like me, you love sudden pops of color and interesting quirks then you find them boring, unexciting, and unappealing.
Why do we compare ourselves to others? Well, you might:
1. Believe you have no worth. If you have been abused or mistreated in any way, you believe the lie that you have no value. When others usurp control over your body, it’s difficult to see yourself as being worthy of more than what you’ve known. It breaks my heart to hear you’ve experienced this trauma. No one has the right to abuse another. You are created in God’s image. Therefore, you are precious. You have value.
2. Feel unseen. When you and I don’t feel noticed, we can go to unusual measures to be seen. Sometimes it is how we dress. Or, maybe it’s through scholastic achievement or job performance. Perhaps, you are the life of every party, but when you go home the lie whispers, nobody cared despite the laughter and attention. God sees you. He loves you unconditionally to the point that He died on the cross to redeem your sins. There is no place in the universe you can go to be away from His presence. You are God’s beloved, fully known.
3. Need to feel significance. Comparison creates discontent, jealousy, and discord. It says that you don’t have what someone else does because you don’t measure up in some way. Robert McGee, in Search for Significance, says, “All of us fail, but this doesn’t mean we are failures.” Your significance doesn’t rest in what you can do. That’s a lie Satan convinces us is true. But, God says you are important. Period. There is nothing you can do to make you more important in God’s eyes. No one else can be you — even if you are an identical twin. You are significant.
Pulling the tray of scones from the oven a few minutes later, I inhaled deeply.
Delicate notes of vanilla, cream, and cranberry assaulted my senses while my mouth salivated. I couldn’t wait to sample them (well, maybe just one or two) with a delicious cup of fresh tea.
Simple. Unique. Delicate. Different. Imperfect perfection.
And I remembered that God sees you and me with similar delight.
He knows our foibles and fantasies. He loves our idiosyncrasies and ideals. He longs for us to run to Him as a child runs to her daddy fully reveling in His adoration.
Because, my friend, God passionately loves you.
Psalm 139 says you are marvelously made. There is a purpose for you that only you can fill. Someone on this earth needs to hear your story, see your scars and imperfections, and learn about God from you. You have a story only you can tell.
The next time you pick up a scone, remember your uniqueness. Celebrate what is different about you.
Now, take 3–5 minutes and write down at least three personal attributes that identify you. Then, would you bravely leave a comment with one of those attributes or email me directly if you need to talk? I’d love to celebrate you.
