Like Garlic in a Spice Cake

Last weekend, I had an extra few minutes while the oven was hot, so I decided to try a new pumpkin caramel cake recipe. Not wanting the oven to be empty for too long (kind of a silly obsession of mine), I was rushing about my pantry baking spot. After dumping a large amount of ginger into the dry ingredients, my sense of smell abruptly halted all movement.

That wasn't ginger.

In my pantry, I will often measure spices out of the refill bulk spice bags that have the content marked on the twist tie. With a little bit of dread, I rechecked the label of the bag I had just used.....in my slurred, rushed, trying-to-get-out-of-the-grocery-store scrawl the words "garlic pwdr" assaulted my eyes.

Oh no.

Carefully, I scooped out as much of the savory spice as I could see and finished mixing the cake together.

"No one will notice," I told myself. "There's a lot of cinnamon in the batter."

After popping the cake into the oven, I sampled the batter on the edge of the bowl.

No. Way. The garlic flavor was still there.

"I'm dousing the cake in carmel sauce, covering it with whipped cream, and topping it all with chocolate bits. There's no way they'll notice," I continued to reason.

The cake's presentation was very tempting. All forks were busy sampling, but my husband took three bites and said, "What' is IN this cake?"

I just smiled.

Many unfinished dessert servings were cleared from the table that night, and the thinking began.

I am a beloved daughter of heavenly parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny. 1

I am a beloved son of God, and He has a work for me to do. 2

"...All of you are children the most High." Psalm 82:6

We may ignore these facts. We may not talk about them. We may try to hide our divine roots or smoother them with every fluffy thing the world has to offer in hopes that it will go away, but the truth will remain, like garlic powder in a spice cake: We "are literally spirit children of God". 3

And aren't we glad?