Pumpkin Cheesecake Pride

I make excellent pumpkin cheesecake. Like, change your life cheesecake. Like, slap your momma cheesecake.

(a small interjection- I have loving, supportive parents who actually read my blog. At least they tell me that they read my blog. So, in the interest of my safety and their feelings, I am not endorsing or advocating parental violence in any form. So you found someone who makes amazing cheesecake. It changes the way you see creamy desserts for the rest of your life. I understand. I'm sorry I opened your eyes to the possibility of a better world. A world with amazing cheesecake. Do not punish your mother for this. Perhaps politely mention to her that you're seeing someone else. Someone who's cheesecake is way better. Maybe you can even slip her a copy of my cheesecake recipe. You know, with whatever tacky gift you give her for Christmas this year. You can even use the recipe card as the gift card on the present. Just use the back to address it-
To: Mom From: your son. I got you a springform pan so you can make this amazing cheesecake recipe.)

In the words of my friend Isaac, "It's like the cheesecake was sent from Heaven just for me." Yes. It's that good. Well, I only made it once. So, it's not quite been institutionalized as one of my delicacies that will take its place in the cooking hall of fame. It may have completely been a fluke. But now I've talked about this sacred cheesecake so much that I'm a little nervous to make it again. I mean, I've not let the subject rest since I made it on Thanksgiving. We were at a dinner party recently with my aforementioned friend Isaac and the subject came up (I'm pretty sure I brought it up). Another guest eventually interrupted our detailed commentary on the numerous physical and emotional benefits of my pumpkin cheesecake by saying "Wow. I can't believe we just spent the past ten minutes talking about cheesecake." It's so good, though. The graham cracker crust... it was like candied goodness that melted in my mouth. And the delicious blend of cinnamon and nutmeg- it was like the pumpkin threw a party and I was the guest of honor.

The truth is, I got the recipe from a message board on the internet (oh, the horror). But you see, I changed it. I used pumpkin pie spice instead of nutmeg and cinnamon individually. So, technically it's my recipe. I can legally take credit for it. The same way Dreamworks can make "Antz" (extra points for coolness by spelling it with a "z") right after Pixar makes "A Bug's Life", right? Is it just me, or does Dreamworks always do a gritty, darker version of the Pixar movie? Thank God they didn't do "Up"- It would probably be about a retired Mob Boss who tried to make it back to Italy before the Feds caught up to him. Anywho, the point is I technically have no right taking complete credit for making this incredible dessert. (It is incredible by the way. Words don't even describe.) I mean, sure, I like to chalk its success up to skill, but I'm just the manpower behind the genius.

Cue scriptural tie in:
Pride can destroy us. It sets us up for a big fall. We lose sight of who's in control. We lose sight of who's powering the ship. Of who's steering the ship. We're just the empty vessel. Without the wind in our sails and a captain to steer, we'll just bob around in the waves going nowhere in particular.

We don't go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us.
For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
But this precious treasure--this light and power that now shine within us--is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.
2 Corinthians 4:5-7 (NLT)

-The focus shifts from us to Christ. We are not the solution to anyone's problem. Jesus Christ is. Our lives should direct attention to Christ in us, not to ourselves. How is this possible? By our attitudes. What is our motive for doing what we do? Are we trying to bring attention and honor to God?

-We live in a state of constant remembrance of what Jesus has done for us. It really helps with the attitude. We are servants to Him why? Because of what He has done for us.

-We understand who we are, and who He is. We are the clay pots, as the NIV version puts it. We're the breakable containers. In the era in which the New Testament was written, clay pots were often used for the dirty jobs around the home. Nice metal pots were used for honorable purposes. Clay pots were used for collecting scraps from the table, garbage, and as chamber pots. Glamorous. Get the picture? YET God decides to put His treasure in the clay pot.
Why? So that it is completely evident that He is working in us. Putting a treasure in a beautiful, fancy pot makes sense. But you'll be focusing on the worth of the actual receptacle as much as the treasure inside of it. Put a treasure in a dingy, breakable clay pot, and your focus will be solely on the treasure.

So pride is being a clay pot and thinking you're a piece of art worthy of the king's table. Humility is realizing that we are a fragile clay pot, but we have purpose, we have the blessing of the King because he's chosen to put His treasure in us. It's realizing who we are, and who He is. Do we deserve His goodness? No, but thankfully He's given it to us anyway.

Does humility mean hiding in the corner with a pout, whimpering "I'm a little clay pot, short and stout"? No. It means realizing that we are the clay pot, but God has great purposes for us. It means giving everything you have to live your life to the best of your ability to serve God's purposes. Humility doesn't mean you must live in shame. It doesn't mean you don't give it your best. It means you are take seriously the calling of God on each of our lives to do our best to bring honor and glory to the Father whom we serve. It means giving credit where credit is due.

By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.
Ephesians 3:20

Even when it comes to making cheesecake. Next time I make cheese cake, I'm going to tell people that Jesus helped me.