“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10
It’s happening again. Or maybe it never stopped and I just didn’t realize I was still on the hamster wheel of my life, so accustomed to going around and around that a short slow down seemed almost like a vacation. Places and faces came into clear view for a moment instead of the blurry images I hug and greet in passing, ever onward, the goal to keep spinning with no destination in sight.
In truth I do have a destination in mind; a goal and plan for life in the present and in eternity. The destination far exceeds the most amazing all-inclusive you can imagine and the goals and plans for getting there are lofty and noble. The problem seems to be the distance.
My grandson got into my car the other day, all excited about a major trip he and his parents are going to take. To New Zealand. He wanted to show me, and plugged New Zealand into the GPS map readout. Over 8,000 miles and a very difficult drive time!
He can’t wait for the New Zealand adventure, but I am guessing the travel part of that trip, over 21 hours of flight time if you fly non-stop, will seem tedious to him. I am guessing there will be numerous ‘are we there yets’. I am guessing his parents will feel like hamsters on the wheel, even though an amazing destination lies ahead of them.
For those of us heading to heaven, our current job is the journey. The destination awaits us but the timing of our arrival will be a bit spontaneous, unknown in its specifics. In the meantime, God has all kinds of preparations for us to attend to; things He has prepared for us to accomplish in His name while we travel to our final destination.
These ‘things’, these good works, if you will, should not seem tedious, unending and overwhelming. Reading Ephesians 2, I am struck by the fact that Paul talks about the good works only after acknowledging that we are the workmanship of God. Look carefully at the language used in the passage. The words are joyous, encouraging. Our salvation is a gift from God. We are created by Him, for a purpose. We have nothing to prove, no thing to boast about. We exist in God and for God, with work to do. Life has purpose; we are to walk in that purpose.
Even the use of the word walk is encouraging to me. I can stop running. I don’t need to stay on the hamster wheel, I can relax into the work God has for me to do, knowing He will provide the time and strength to do it. And I can enjoy the journey on the way to my destination.
Admittedly not every moment will be joyous, but there is a sweet satisfaction in a job well done, even if the job is hard. And takes a long time. And doesn’t seem to get easier. Did I mention it takes a long time?
Focusing on the destination while remembering that God Himself has appointed our travel takes the emphasis off the tedium and allows us to recognize the gift of purpose God has given us. Generically we are all to share the love of Christ with those around us; specifically we each have a marvelous, individualized mission to love the people in our sphere of influence. That sphere should feel more like a carousel than a hamster wheel, up and down, yes, but at a pace that allows the faces around you to be recognizable and reachable.
You may be exhausted from changing diapers in the wee hours of the morning, tired of the constancy of laundry, dishes and housecleaning, or stressed by projects and presentations due for work or school. Life may seem tedious and overwhelming, There is also the possibility that you feel lonely and bored, out of good works to do, lacking in people to share the love of Christ with.
I don’t know where you are in your journey, but I do know that God has work for you to do along the way. Let me remind you to do the work, to see it as a gift, and not to take on work that was not meant for you. You will find sweet satisfaction in a job well done at the end of your journey as you obediently do the work He has prepared for you to do.
I also hope you will find sweet satisfaction in trying the following easy recipe. Originally Magic Bars, a recipe by Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, called for specific toppings. I have found, however, that you can use quite a variety of sweet toppings, making these bars as individual as your tastebuds.
Magic Bars
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
- 1 ⅓ cups flaked coconut
- 1 cup chopped nuts
You can find this recipe all over the internet with varying amounts of graham cracker crumbs. You can buy pre-crushed crumbs or crush them yourself from regular graham crackers. I usually use a little more than 2 cups of crushed graham crackers, because if you food process 2 sleeves of graham crackers the yield is just over 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs.
Mix crushed graham crackers and melted butter and thoroughly pack it down using the back of a spoon in your 13×9″ pan. Drizzle an entire can of sweetened condensed milk over this crust. Sprinkle the toppings of your choice over the sweetened milk.
I have opened the can with an old style can opener all of my life, but you can feel free to open the can any way you can manage.
As you can see from my pictures, I am trying to serve people with different tastes. It is the coconut lovers versus the s’mores fans at my house!
Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven and your choice of toppings.
I love coconut and pecans, so I sprinkle mine liberally with coconut, nuts and chocolate chips. If you want a decidedly coconut cream pie taste, eliminate the chips and just use coconut. If you want a caramel flavor, try adding white or vanilla chips to the topping.
My daughter has turned these bars into a type of s’mores bar by eliminating the coconut, which her family does not like, and substituting mini marshmallows. Watch the oven carefully to avoid burning the marshmallows. The bars turn out gooey and totally delicious.
For a fruity twist, top the condensed milk with your favorite jam and either chocolate or vanilla chips.