Marble Fudge

I remember when a scoop of marble fudge ice cream cost a nickel (5 cents) at Thrifty Drug Store. A memory that long must place me in the ‘at risk’ category!

One of my favourite cakes growing up was a marble fudge cake which my Mom made. Vanilla and chocolate swirled in random patterns, mingling flavours. Mmm.

Those who love Jesus are those who obey him. That is my aim, but so often I fail. I am like marble fudge, only without the ‘mmmm’. The vanilla, who I want to be as I long to follow Jesus more closely, is shot through with swirls of fudge – the dark side that I want to eradicate. Why does it always appear so much tastier than the light side?

I once wrote an article comparing angel food with devil’s food cake. I was helping with a teenage girls’ Bible study at the time, so I made one of each and took them for a taste test. Overwhelmingly, the girls preferred the dark chocolate devil’s food cake over the highly whipped and risen angel food.

I don’t mean to trivialise our sinful natures by comparing them to cake and ice cream. I’m just saying that when I am not careful to focus on and listen to Jesus, and obey, the dark side of me emerges. I am so grateful that Jesus looks at me with eyes of grace, but still, I long to be more angel than devil.

Right now, during this outbreak and the fear swirling round it, we who trust in Jesus should be proclaiming in word and deed that Jesus brings us his peace, and that we should not be troubled or afraid but trust in him. We do not live in fear but in faith.

We don’t know what is coming next, except that it will continue to be marble fudge, and we want to love and obey Jesus so we live empowered by the Spirit. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.