Human life begins with a push. Reaching, screaming, kicking–natal souls burst onto a timeline. From the first breath, the endless strive onward begins. Spring from yesterday’s position. Roll, crawl, and walk. Gaze past today toward the next accomplishment. The cookie jar begs a toddler to climb.
As we grow to adulthood, chocolate chip treasures no longer daunt us. New dreams bloom within us. By definition, these divinely planted aspirations loom beyond reach. Discouragement threatens to cripple our natural drive to rise to the adventure. The enemy saps our energy and attempts to pilfer the hope given to us as our rightful inheritance. Toxic whispers niggle falsehoods into our minds, trying to convince us we never succeeded at such things before.
We forget how far we have come on this timeline set by our Creator. After all, we have tasted the once-elusive chocolate chip cookie. Toddlers relish these delectable conquests and streak their faces in victorious war paint. Few adults recall their first taste of a sweet treat. Bitter memories clutter our precious thought space. But we can redesign our mental space to feature the true delights in each day from now on. Let’s not dismiss the sweetness of life’s moments, but keep the chocolate-inspired dimples in our cheeks as we face the next dream.
Some moments slide down our timeline with syrupy flavor, while others serve as bittersweet mouthfuls. The richness of a chocolatier lifestyle depends upon acknowledging each morsel’s value. Refuse to take a sunrise for granted. Embrace large and small celebrations with a thankful heart. When–not if, but when–sorrows and disappointments burden our souls, look for the blessings in the shadowiest times. The support of friends. Meals, smiles, hugs–little notions provided from time to time. The rainbow on a day when promises seemed most scarce. Deepened sense of compassion. Sometimes a bittersweet morsel offers the most memorable flavor.
Journal your chocolate moments to preserve the experiences forever. List your sweet wins, no matter how small the morsel. Ability to breathe. Moving limbs. The grin of a loved one. Or stranger. Note your bittersweet finds, too. An opportunity to strengthen faith. Those impossible expenses, tasks, or obstacles—anything looming as a Goliath set up to honor a God far bigger than such giants. Dreams deferred or even shattered into a flood of tears. The salty ocean of ungranted wishes can buoy us to a new world of divine destiny, where the shores glitter with greater value than the destination we once strove toward. Believe in the flavonoids of dark chocolate, the benefits we neither see nor taste. And mark them down in faith. Like warpaint.
Regardless of our age, all our souls are those of children. The steadying of our tottering walk has not yet completed. We have not grown these inches on our efforts alone, nor do we need to face the next steps without a supportive arm. Whether we taste milk-sugar today or an intense cocoa, let’s note our thanks for the one guiding us on this timeline. And never lose hope in tomorrow’s sweet dreams.
Be Encouraged,
Tina
