On Sunday I spoke with a lovely lady in the congregation who told me that her “Christmas baking had officially begun”.

She is an avid baker and each year before Christmas she bakes a freezer full of delicious goodies. Something about our conversation inspired me. During COVID lockdowns I learned to knit socks, I learned how to make mugs and bowls on a pottery wheel, surely I could bake! So I decided to try my hand at a Canadian favourite, butter tarts.

I found a recipe online and followed it to the letter. It looked exactly like the picture provided.

The next step was to bake. The recipe suggested 13-15 mins.

Okay so, I set my timer for 13 mins. Nope. Not done.

I put the tray back in the oven and set the timer for another two min.

Two minutes later. Nope. Not done. The recipe said that the filling should be bubbling. There was no bubbling happening. I began to doubt the validity of the recipe. Was the recipe wrong? Was my oven working?

I set the timer for another two minutes and stood in front of the oven and peered through the glass. Let me just say, two minutes takes forever when you are just standing looking into an oven!

Two minutes later and nope. Not done. At least, I didn’t think they were done. I set the timer again and in frustration walked away. Mistake. They were done. Well done.

My timing was not at all perfect.

But here is the thing… God’s timing always is.
God gives us hope and dreams for certain things in our lives, but we are never privy to the exact timing of God’s plan. Not knowing the exact timing can be frustrating. Some of us get tired of the waiting and may want to give up. Some of us question whether God is even listening or if God is even there. But if we know that God’s plan for our lives is good and we trust God completely with our lives, we can experience joy and total peace.

I was not going to give up. Trusting the recipe and my baking skills, I made a second batch. All I can say is YUM!! :)

Join us on Sunday as we continue our journey to Christmas as we are in part 3 of our sermon series entitled: Finding the Missing Peace.