All I Need To Know About Life I Learned From Dessert

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“Life is dessert- too brief to hurry” ~Ann Voskamp

I like dessert. I mean, who doesn’t right? Dessert is the the delightful ending of a meal which beckons each of us to enjoy something that is usually good. Don’t we all long for something good? Don’t we all desire a happy ending? Something within us yearns for the satisfyingly sweet which says, “All’s well that ends well”. As I considered this simple thought recently I came to a few conclusions about life and dessert.

I chose three slices, I mean lessons, for us to enjoy together. Shall we dig in?

Dessert Lesson 1: Anticipate Good

When I think about dessert, I anticipate something good. That in and of itself is a lesson, because so often in life, instead of anticipating good, I expect the worst. I fear the unexpected twist of fate, change in plans that never happens. Why is that? We have a good God who gives good things. Who also tells us not to worry or fret. So my number one strategy is to reject those derogatory thoughts, surrender them to our God and redirect my mind instead to anticipate good things. 2 Corinthians 10:5 is my go to verse when I get off course:

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Dessert Lesson 2: Rush Not

We don’t rush through that which is precious. I’m learning that it’s all precious, because we are only guaranteed this moment. I once lived my life in one big rush. Like a real life boot camp that had a deadline. I thought that was wise. But when I began to know true wisdom, my world was turned upside down. Elisabeth Elliot says it well:

“Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His hands.”

Wow. Savor those words. Wisdom is not hurried. Life, like our just dessert will be served up at the right time, in the right portion and bring satisfaction, when accepted graciously. We don’t want to rush through a great meal just to get to dessert because each course has been prepared with purpose and forethought.

Dessert Lesson 3: Savor Now 

Dessert is the sweetness that finishes off our meal. Savor now what is set before you. What life presents to you is meant for you because we have a sovereign God who has created a perfect menu for our particular palate. Receive it all with a spirit of gratitude. This temporary life leaves us with a taste for the sweetness of the life to come, hints at an even more wonderful dessert. Savor now the salty, sweet and savory that is presented before you. We are longing for the dessert that follows this present dessert and by savoring now, this very moment and all it’s complexity, we truly will be savoring but a taste of eternity.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalms 34:8