Life of Pie

“Worshiping God is for all our moments, but we often divide our devotion to God. Compartmentalizing life like slices of pie, we offer Him one slice and keep the rest for ourselves.” – Holy in the Moment by Ginger Harrington

I love the way Ginger creates such an understandable, vivid image. I picture a sweet, tangy lemon pie covered in meringue with perfectly toasted peaks. I see my knife’s point cutting it, first into fourths, then eighths. Each piece exactly the same size. Each piece ready for those waiting to savor that summery flavor.

Reality varies from my perfect slice of pie dreams. The pieces aren’t ever exactly the same size. One is invariably smaller, or at least it always seemed that way when I was the only girl with two older brothers vying for the best piece of whatever dessert our mother made to accompany supper. Were we the only children who suddenly became scientists, measuring each dessert offering with perfect precision, paying attention to height, width, and depth in order to ensure all were equal? Could we be the only ones who judged the separate components of the dish to make sure the piece we grabbed wasn’t the one that was overdone or underdone but just right? That it had the perfect amount of chocolate chips or nuts? It was of vast importance to feel like what we received was equal if not better than what our siblings received.

When my own children did the same, I realized desserts don’t cut evenly. There is always a fraction of an inch difference. What each child was given was essentially equal whether they wanted to believe it or not. Hopefully, I’ve had an increase in manners since childhood and don’t demand the “best” for myself but instead give those I’m with the first choice. In inconsequential things I hope I think of others more than self. I pray it happens in the truly important situations too.

But it’s about more than my attitude toward others. Ginger’s quote makes me consider whether I do the same to God. Do I hoard my time, allotting Him only what I feel I have to spare? Often I’ve looked at ideas like these and thought they pointed to the Sunday morning Christian. Through the week, they may be good people, but they reserve all thoughts of what God might want for Sunday morning services. Their work and faith don’t intersect. Their family and faith don’t work in cooperation on a daily basis. Faith is only wielded when it benefits. “Children obey your parents”, flows from the tongue with surprising  ease considering it’s the only time His word is really given place in their Monday through Saturday lives.  

When I looked at the idea of worshiping God with our lives, I would consider the Sunday morning Christian and walk away with a false sense that the message wasn’t for me. I believe my faith should enter into every decision, my values, and the way I conduct myself every day wherever I am. As a Christian writer, I have a strong belief that my God-given talents and passions can be put to best use when they bring glory and honor to the Giver of those gifts. That being the case, I must be fine. Message received and applied. Right?

Not necessarily. When I stop to consider the actual pie and the way my siblings and I painstakingly reviewed each piece to find the absolute best, I’m struck by two truths that are not easy to swallow. The difference between what is and what should be tends to get stuck on the way down.

My siblings and I painstakingly judged each piece of dessert looking for the absolute best. Do I spend that same amount of effort giving God my absolute best at all times. He’s not the God of leftovers. He’s not the God of good enough.  He gave His all for me, and I should look to do no less for Him. Galatians 2:20 states it this way, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Am I guilty of neglecting Christ in me during any part of my life? Have I forgotten the direction in Philippians chapter two that I should have the mind of Christ in all areas of my life? Have I made myself of no reputation in order to look to the needs of others before myself? Have I adopted the heart of a servant faithfully in each thing I do?

Then there are also the slices of the pie. We want to make sure that God is in each slice of our life, but we don’t want to forget one important fact. The whole pie is God’s.  Each and every slice is a gift He’s given us to bring honor and glory to Him. Whether or not we do that, it doesn’t change the truth. Our lives are His. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 puts it this way. “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Our work life, church life, home life, friend life, and any other slice of our lives are to bring God glory not simply because it’s a way to give back the love He’s given us, but also because they all belong to God to begin with. He put us together. He wrote our days before we were born. He is the one who bought us back from sin with Jesus’ death on the cross. God and His love is not just the reason we do, they are the reason we are to begin with. Do I make the conscious effort every day to remember that truth and consider how it should change my outlook, priorities, and actions? I know I do sometimes. But can I say I do all the time?

In light of these truths, I think I need to revert to my childhood and study with equal intensity the pie of my life to see where God wants to grow me. How about you?