Tip of My Iceberg

In the constant pursuit of interesting and fun things to do with family, on Christmas Eve we played “Blindfolded Cookie Decorating”.

It’s exactly what it sounds like. Everyone has a partner, one of whom is blindfolded. There is a cutout sugar cookie in front of the one who can’t see, with a plethora of colored icings, sprinkles, and odd little things that can be put on a cookie.

The blindfolded person is directed as to what to reach for, what to try and put on their cookie, how to decorate something they can’t see. We ended up with cookies holding piles of sprinkles and bizarre colors of icings all mixed together.

Some turned out well–there were comments that some people could actually see what they were doing.

The googly eyes, however, were the strangest things used. They were almost inedible–I crunched one fearing I could crack a tooth.

The googly eyes were also the most alluring. Who wouldn’t want a tongue full of little eyes staring out at the world?

Was eating all those eyes a good idea?

There are many times in life when we make decision that may not seem the best. In the Bible, Joseph was one of Jacob’s twelve sons, a favorite of his father, partly because he’d tattle on his brothers when they didn’t do things right.

They tired of him and his arrogance. They originally wanted to kill him because he was that annoying, but then decided to sell him as a slave to traveling Egyptians. They told his father he’d been killed by wild animals.

The man who bought him actually trusted Joseph, but the man’s wife was attracted to him. His lack of response made her angry; she had him thrown into prison.

The warden, however, valued Joseph for his character. (He was learning.) He had the chance to tell two men the interpretation of dreams they had because of the Lord’s wisdom, so when Pharaoh had a frightening dream, the man who’d been acquitted because of Joseph’s insights told the ruler about his ability to interpret dreams. This led him to being trusted by Pharaoh and put in a position of power in Egypt.

When famine struck all of Egypt and the surrounding areas, people streamed into the country to get some of the grain Joseph had been storing away for seven years. When his brothers showed up and discovered this was their lost sibling, they feared anger and reprisal.

What they received was grace.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Genesis 50:20

Joseph had changed and had grown into a man who learned from his mistakes. He didn’t seek revenge on his brothers–he forgave them and loved them.

Christmas is over, and with it many of us will go back to our “same old same old” attitudes of life. Caring more about ourselves than others around us.

Let’s remind ourselves that kindness, grace, and a generous spirit are good ideas all year. God, who has loved us with an everlasting love, never ceases to pursue us with His grace and mercy.

Responding in kind is a good idea.