The Gift Of Baked Goods

The Gift of Baked Goods

The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Upon finally confessing to myself that baking does not bring me joy, I gave away my springform pans (never having used them) and bought a wok. By contrast, Alissa—my friend who lives five houses down—is an amazing baker. She loves it, knows I loathe it, and so periodically sends one of her kiddos around the cul-de-sac with a plate of something deliciously homemade to share with my family.

If I were to guess, Alissa would say that those plates of sugary goodness are a small gesture, an easy thing, no big deal—but they are a big deal to me. To me, those plates are love—reminding me that I’m not alone in my parenting, that I’m not alone as a woman, that I’m noticed and cared about enough to be baked for. Alissa supplements my mothering with a skill set I don’t have, showering my family with love in a way I’ve finally acknowledged I’m not good at. I deeply appreciate her baking because I treasure the love and caring conveyed by that deceptively simple plate of cookies.

God places individualized gifts and talents within us so we can reach the world around us. I know women who can envision what each element of a kitchen remodel will look like before a hammer has been swung, women who are organizational mavens, and women who know all the apps and tech questions to ask when raising preteens. I’ve benefited from their advice and insight, just as other women have benefited from my own skill sets and life experiences. That’s the thing: what feels easy and relatively small to us is enormously helpful to someone else. We bless others out of our own strengths, even when they feel insignificant and unimportant, because they are valuable to someone else. We reveal the love of God by being open-eyed and openhearted to those who are weary or struggling around us, and in doing so we find ourselves refreshed.

— Julie

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Use one of your gifts or talents to unexpectedly bless a friend.