Chocolate Cakes are Sweet

Chocolate cakes are sweet…

This is a story about how forgiveness can be as sweet as a chocolate cake.

I used to be an emotional-self-pity-galore type of person. But as the years went by I matured and learned that I wasn’t the center of the universe, so I might as well accept the fact that things won’t always go my way.

So, about that chocolate cake:

Funny how God’s messages have a way of catching up with us and reminding us that it’s applicable at all times, in all situations. Oh yeah, the chocolate cake.

At one time, I bought a chocolate cake for somebody and he didn’t like to eat chocolate cake at that time. So he didn’t eat it and I felt somewhat insulted. Sounds like I over reacted, indeed I did. Suddenly, there I was, all issues on rejection being dug up, over a “rejected” slice of chocolate cake; not wanting to accept that he did not eat it. It ruined my night a bit but I slept through it. The following morning, he was there, waiting for me across my place. I didn’t even ask what time he arrived (I didn’t really want to know). So, there I was, hurrying past the gate and what I saw across the streets stopped me in my tracks. What can I do? I can’t ignore him of course. I smiled and thought, “oh well, it’s a new and beautiful day, why ruin it?”  He said he was sorry and I just answered him with “Apologies don’t change anything. And forget about it, it’s another day. That was still from last night.”

That same day, I had another encounter with a different person. I have a friend whom I haven’t talked to in more than three months because I thought he did something “unforgivable”. There I was judging somebody by his actions and myself by my ideals. I couldn’t find it in my heart to forgive him and forget what he did. But on that night God moved in a mysterious way and allowed an offer of a chocolate cake to somehow restore my broken relationship with that person.

Sure, apologies can’t bring you back in time and let you undo your mistakes but it surely refreshes a wounded relationship. That day, I was pondering on how we should forgive as God had forgiven us and still forgives us – mistake after mistake.

August 18, 2010 is a day I’ll never forget – it was the day I learned that chocolate cakes are sweet only if you eat them and forgiveness brings a wonderful feeling only if you mean it.