You Can Have Your Cake... and Eat It Too!

Having been away in New York for a week, and with a hectic non-stop agenda upon returning, there was little to time to regroup and get back into the groove of our normal routine. All that, as a "wordy" way to say none of us had stopped long enough to refresh the fresh fruit and vegetables in our pantry.

We were out until midnight the night before, and fell into bed feeling exhausted, and hence, there was nothing, prepared in advance, for a fast lunch after church.

My hubby commits himself, faithfully, as a sound technician during the worship and service times every Sunday morning, as he has done for the last twenty-five years - so it means we are regularly on board at the church by 8 am for an intercessory prayer-time and the early worship-team practices!

Usually the first ones there, the DVD recording process after the service means we are often the last ones leaving the building, too. Since we try to avoid shopping on Sundays, it meant we would all be going out for lunch...

My son opted for us to dine in his favourite restaurant downtown. Well-known for their fabulous homemade meals and oversized portions of absolutely everything, for one to say they are a popular place is a definite understatement!

Seated in the diningroom at the back of the establishment, the packed room was now emptying slowly, as most the Sunday morning “church crowd” finished their lunches.

Down the center of the room, however, were two long tables with family and friends celebrating a significant life-event. Since there were three little ones impressively dressed in the cutest of formal ensembles, it was most likely a baptism or christening of some kind, we finally presumed.

The group arose and went to huddle in the corner. Positioning themselves for a number of family portraits, they were all smiling.... at least, all but the man and woman taking the pictures. To add to the scuffle of activity, one young man standing in the foreground was graciously trying to instruct the woman how to use his new digital camera. Other models were slung over her arm and wrist.

It is often a problem when one returns from some of these wonderful family and milestone moments, only to realize there is not one photo with one’s self in it! So it was a small opportunity to bless these people in a simple way! So quietly, I leaned across the table to my husband and whispered that I was going to offer to take the pictures, so that the man and the woman would not be excluded.

Although he and my son are not surprised at anything I do, and are very generous servants and the blessors of many, it is important to note that my husband is a very quiet and shy man. He was puzzled at the idea of his wife walking up to a group of strangers - intruding on their family moment - all to offer her photographic services! Meanwhile, I saw it as nothing more than an opportunity to bless someone!

Although he remained apprehensive and bewildered at my so-called boldness, I stood and strode across the room.

The family nodded quickly in agreement as to the inquiry, but the woman was determined to maintain the position of her post, and chose to ignore my offer. Her husband stood behind her, thanking me for the proposition to do so, and shook his head in total frustration with her determination to master the strange new camera - all this happening, as I was returning to the nearby table from whence I came.

Oblivious to the dispersing partipants heading off from lunch themselves, we were handed the bill for our own, and my two fellows got up to lead the way to the cashier’s counter.

Lagging behind to untangle my purse handles, I passed the table and felt someone gently grab my shoulder. A white container was offered to me, and I looked up to see the face of a charming man in his forties, and noted he was dressed in his own Sunday finery.

“This is for you”, he said with a most charming grin on his face. “It is a piece of cake, and I would like you to have it. That was really nice of you to offer to take those pictures. I really appreciated your kindness. It was very thoughtful.”

“Well thank-you. That is very sweet of you, but it is not necessary.”

“No seriously... most people wouldn’t offer to do something like that. I just really want to bless you. So, please take it!”

No one wants to rob someone of their heart-given blessing, or miss the opportunity to be blessed themselves, so of course I accepted the gift of this soft-spirited soul.

It turned out, that the event was celebrating the baptism of his new two week-old daughter. A believer himself, he was also the very proud papa of the young 18 month-old toddler, and the 28 month-old boy that was now exiting well ahead of his mother!

Expressing my thanks again for the cake, and extending my congratulations on the special events, I took the sweet offering and trod off toward the front-cash to join the others. I was truly touched by this man's heart to also want to thank and bless another.

Grinning, I joined the puzzled fellows and waitress, all who wondered and inquired as to where my mysterious package had materialized from.

“I just got blessed by the gentleman in the back room. It’s cake. You see... ”, I tenderly explained. “... It pays to step out and do something that might be considered a little... "bold". Every once in a while... you see a God-blessing come back to you right away. You wind up being doubly-blessed.”

Others who had gathered behind us were listening intently, as the waitress returned her comments of agreement. It made me wonder how many of them, would look for opportunities that very same day, to do likewise.

Of course, I couldn’t wait to get home and share the tasty chocolate morsel that I gratefully now toted in my hands! But as it turned out, the guys didn’t want any after all. So while curling up to watch an afternoon movie, I had the chance to savour the blessing of every bite, and to reflect on the goodness of the Lord and His people!

Oh, how He must delight in the gentle passing back-and-forth of "blessings" amongst His children – like some, of whom were orchestrated to be in the backroom of a restaurant on that very Sunday afternoon.

In spite of those who may have objected to our decision, simply in order to bless a perfect stranger,we were both no-doubt honoured and satisfied. It was knowing that our heart motives were all purely for the sake of blessing one another, just as He blesses us.

Take those opportunities and risks to step out in faith, even when those around you don’t understand. The Word tells us that you may have even have entertained angels and been unaware!

God sees what is done in secret. Let the left hand know not, what the right is doing!

Who knows? You may just find yourself getting doubly-blessed! But then again... you may just find that you really can have your cake...and eat it too!