I recently heard a wonderful uplifting story about a cookie, and then heard a sermon a couple of weeks later that tied together almost perfectly with how I could see the cookie story possibly turning out before hearing the official end and outcome of the story. Allow me to start by telling you a story about a cookie.
There was a little girl named Lily who recently moved to town with her parents. On Lily’s first day at the new school, Lily was very nervous and shy about going to school since she didn’t know anyone, so Lily’s mom and dad made sure to pray with Lily that morning and asked God to look over Lily, to guide and comfort her throughout her first day of school, and to help Lily find good friends that love God just like Lily and her family do.
When Lily arrived at school, she went into her new classroom and the teacher warmly welcomed her with open arms, helped her put her jacket and lunch bag away in her new cubbyhole, and showed Lily to her new desk. A few moments later all of the other children arrived, filled the classroom, and the class began. Because Lily was very shy, Lily didn’t say anything in class that morning and when morning recess came around she sat off to the side of the playground watching the other children play until it was time to go back to class.
As lunch time approached, Lily remembered that her parents prayed with her that morning and asked God to help Lily find good friends that love God. Lily’s parents had taught her to always remember to pray to God often, thanking God for the blessings He shares and asking for God’s help, protection, and support if she is ever uncomfortable or scared. Since Lily was feeling so shy and uncomfortable still, Lily decided to pray and ask God to help her to feel less scared and shy, and to help her find a friend that God would want her to have.
A few moments later, the lunch bell sounded and all of the children went to grab their lunch bags from their cubbyholes and head outside to the lunch tables. As Lily went to grab her lunch bag, a girl, named Vanessa, who seemed very kind and thoughtful had just grabbed her lunch bag from the cubbyhole that was right under Lily’s cubbyhole. Vanessa waited by and asked Lily if she would like to sit with her at lunch. Lily was so excited and quickly said yes! With a big bright smile, Lily followed Vanessa to the lunch table and they began to eat and talk about all the things that they like. Lily and Vanessa quickly found out that they both had so much in common. Lily felt even more comfortable with Vanessa after Vanessa shared that she had recently just joined the school also, and had been praying with her parents that God would help her find a good friend that loves God just like her and her family. They were both so excited that they had both prayed for the same thing and that God answered both of their prayers by helping them find each other!
As they finished up their lunches, Vanessa pulled out the most soft and delicious looking cookie that Lily had every seen, and even more than that, it was her favorite type of cookie! Even though Lily’s favorite fruits are apples and oranges, Lily was feeling a little disappointed now as she looked at the apple and orange that her parent’s thoughtfully packed for her for dessert. Each day that week, Lily and Vanessa were having so much fun talking with each other, playing at recess together, and eating lunch together. One thing kept making Lily feel a little jealous though, which was that Vanessa had that most soft and delicious looking cookie in her lunch bag each day for dessert. Vanessa explained that her dad is a baker, so he makes the cookies fresh each morning, and makes sure to make one extra for Vanessa to take for lunch because he knows it is her favorite.
The next day at lunch time, Lily and Vanessa went to go outside for recess, and as they stepped outside, Lily noticed that she forgot her jacket since it was cold outside today, so Lily said that she will be right back and ran inside to grab her jacket from her cubbyhole. Since Vanessa’s cubbyhole is right below Lily’s, when Lily grabbed her jacket, she accidentally knocked over Vanessa’s lunch bag onto the ground and guess what came sliding out of Vanessa’s lunch bag? Two of those soft and delicious looking cookies that Vanessa’s dad makes for her each day! Lily immediately began to battle in her mind as to what she should do. There were two cookies, not just one! So, Lily started thinking that if she just had one of the two, maybe Vanessa didn’t even know that her dad packed her two cookies for dessert today, and since her dad is a baker, she can always have more cookies later. Lily had wanted one of those favorite soft and delicious looking cookies for so long now, but she had to think quick since Vanessa was waiting for her. What should Lily do?!
Lily decided that Vanessa wouldn’t even notice, so she quickly took a bite, and it tasted even better than she imagined! She quickly shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth and quickly ate it up while she put the other cookie back into Vanessa’s lunch bag and put the lunch bag back into Vanessa’s cubbyhole. Right after, as Lily was about to run outside to meet with Vanessa for recess, Lily began to feel horrible about what she had done. Lily felt so bad that Vanessa asked if Lily was okay when she came back out, but Lily just nodded her head and proceeded out to the playground with Vanessa. Lily kept feeling more and more guilty with each passing moment, especially once lunch time came around. Lily was dreading the moment that Vanessa would go to pull out her dessert and only find one cookie. What if Vanessa did know that there were two cookies?!
The moment that Lily had been dreading finally came. It made Lily feel even worse and more scared when she noticed that Vanessa looked even more excited than usual about going into her lunch bag to grab her cookie for dessert. Lily realized that she must know that she had two and was excited to have two cookies today instead of just one. As Vanessa went in and grabbed for her dessert, she began to look disappointed and troubled when she only felt and pulled out one cookie. Lily felt an even deeper weight drop in her heart and stomach as she saw Vanessa’s face and reaction. Vanessa felt around in the bag, looked in, and even tried to turn it upside down and shake it, as tears began to pour out from Vanessa. Vanessa began crying, trying to share with Lily that she felt so bad! Through the tears and crying, Vanessa tried to explain that she had asked her dad specifically last night to be sure to make one extra cookie so that she could bring it and give it to her new best friend that God sent to her to answer her prayer. She thought that her dad forgot or that maybe she accidentally dropped it somewhere on the way to school. Vanessa was so sad that she couldn’t share the cookie with Lily! Through all of the tears, Vanessa told Lily that she was so sorry that she didn’t have the cookie to share with her like she so anxiously had been looking forward to all last night and all morning. Vanessa told Lily that she was so excited to share it with her that she couldn’t even sleep much last night, and couldn’t wait for her try the cookie to see what she thought about it since Vanessa knew that it was Lily’s favorite cookie also.
Lily felt absolutely miserable and began to burst into tears also, because she couldn’t hold in all of the guilt any longer. Lily blurted out, “it was me! I am so sorry Vanessa! It was me! I ate your cookie!” Vanessa then looked really confused and troubled. Vanessa was not really sure if she correctly heard what Lily had just said. However, through deep sobbing and flowing tears, Lily kept repeating, “I am so sorry! It was me! It was me! I stole your cookie! I ate your cookie!” Vanessa felt so hurt and confused. Why would her new best friend, Lily, who was an answer to her prayer, steal the cookie that she asked her father to make especially for her and that she brought especially for her? The cookie was going to be Lily’s. All Lily had to do was wait just a couple of hours and she could have received the gift that was prepared and brought especially for her. Vanessa didn’t even know what to say initially, but then Vanessa remembered something that her parents taught her from the Bible. Even when all of the people were shouting to hurt Jesus and put Him on the cross, Jesus asked His Father to forgive them. She always remembers how amazing it is that Jesus would forgive and ask for forgiveness for them, even when they are being so mean and hurtful to Him. Vanessa realized that she should pray like Jesus, just like her parents taught her, and ask for forgiveness for Lily and to ask God to help her forgive Lily for taking and eating the cookie that she brought especially for her, so Vanessa began to pray out loud, asking God for forgiveness. Lily stopped crying for a moment, as she heard Vanessa’s prayer, asking forgiveness for her despite what Lily had just done to Vanessa. Then Lily began to cry again, but this time because of the incredible love and forgiveness that she saw Vanessa show through her prayer. Lily was so touched that, with tears in her eyes, she gave Vanessa a big tight hug, said she was so sorry, thanked her for being such an amazing friend, and told Vanessa that she would never do anything like that again!
What if Lily instead had made the choice to not take and eat the cookie. Lily and Vanessa would have both had an amazing positive experience that they both would have shared and remembered for a lifetime. Will they both remember this experience also? Of course! However, the pain that was caused by this path that was chosen by Lily took away the enjoyment that both of them would have experienced with the original gift that was prepared for her. The gift was corrupted and could not be enjoyed in the same way that was intended, but in the end the gift was still made available. It was the path that became more painful and difficult as a result of that choice to steal the cookie, but because of the forgiveness in God’s character and made available through the gift that Jesus gave, the end still resulted in a continued relationship and friendship. Lily will need to work even harder on never making a choice like that again and will need to take extra steps to rebuild the relationship and trust that she broke in her own heart.
Jesus asked His Father to allow Him to offer the gift of forgiveness and salvation to all of those that accept the friendship that He offers to each and every person. Jesus Father agreed and prepared the gift, the plan of salvation, for those that are friends with Jesus. All we have to do is accept that gift and walk in friendship with Jesus, just as He showed and asked of us during His time here on earth preparing that gift for each one of us. Jesus gave His Will, His driver’s seat, over to His Father so that His Father could guide Him to achieve the exact gift that Jesus wanted to give to His friends. The result of that faith of giving full Will and control of the driver’s seat over to His Father was, that Jesus would then inherit that driver’s seat in the end. In the end, through faith and obedience to His Father, Jesus received exactly what He gave up for a short time. Similarly, our Heavenly Father, Jesus Father, wants to guide us to the exact same gift, and in the end, if we accept that gift, Jesus will be overjoyed to give us the thrown to oversee the new earth that was originally intended for us. Although the path is much more difficult than originally planned, containing painful and challenging experiences all along the way, if we decide to have faith, and to follow and obey our Heavenly Father, Jesus will be able to ask His Father to make a new cookie for us to enjoy just as He intended from the beginning.
What path will you choose? Will you accept this beautiful, priceless gift?
Exodus 20:17 KJV – {17} Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
John 13:33-35 KJV – [Jesus Speaking]{33} Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. {34} A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. {35} By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
1 John 1:4-10 KJV – {4} And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. {5} This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. {6} If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: {7} But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. {8} If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. {9} If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. {10} If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 KJV – {7} I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: {8} Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.