Mud Pies

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Good morning, Lord

Father in Heaven, I seek You first-Your peace-Your knowledge and discernment. Build my trust. I take up my cross and follow...In Jesus' name…

Memory verse: Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV)

23  Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Verse of the Day: Proverbs 21:21

21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.

Daily Reading: Exodus 39-40 Matthew 23:23-39

Mud Pies

Last house on a dead-end across from the railroad running parallel to our street is where I grew up. We moved to town when I was 5 when my mind was coming alive with wonder. Wonder of our creek and bugs and chickens.

Creeks have water and dirt which means mud pies were a deep science of my little mind. One day while at our daily ‘mucking and gomming’, as one grandma put it, my friend Mark and I thought it would be a good idea to use some of my mother’s hens’ eggs in our mud pie recipe.

Into the hen house-eggs procured-behind the hen house-pies made-little boys amazed-discovered in the act by Mamma-Mark sent home-Frankie spanked…

Conclusion: Mud pies are perfect without any additives.-so don’t even think about it.

Mud pies were so important to us-there was nothing else(at that moment in our lives)-so important that we would have turned down a chance to go eat birthday cake. Clean up? Change clothes? No deal-we’re staying here.

C. S. Lewis wrote about us: “...like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”*1

He said that ‘we are far too easily pleased’. I would add that we might be afraid of a spanking.

What we are talking about is the fact that a lot of the Christian world lives in a false comfort zone where performance has replaced pleasure. That’s right-I said that.

I believe being what God wants me to be is not a performer but one who praises. God is most glorified(praised) when I am the most satisfied(pleased) in Him.

I am not saying that God is the ‘egg in the mud pies’. I am saying God is the joy and amazement in it all.

I am saying we have settled in our sin for the bow and the wrapping and not the gift inside.

We have stopped short of divine joy in Christ. Why? I believe we would rather be in comfort having numbed ourselves to real excitement.

To truly invest-to work-to exercise-causes pain. I have callouses on my finger tips from pressing down on guitar strings. So why do I go through the pain of developing callouses? There is no joy outside of human contact greater for me on this earth than hearing my hands make music. Why don’t I play all the time?

There is no pleasure greater for the human soul than God Himself. There is no greater peace and joy than being in God’s presence. Why don’t we do it all the time?

Pray with out ceasing…

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

I want to know the glory of Your name and Your kingdom in deep in my soul. I trust You for whatever I need today. Forgive me my weak desire.

Great God, full of grace,

In the name of Christ Jesus,

Amen

*1 C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1965), 1–2.