Just Make the Cookies
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.
Malachi 4:2
Tonight, I got the sudden urge to make some cookies. We had gone to the grocery store after church, and while there I grabbed some shortening; I remembered back to a few weeks ago when I'd wanted to make snicker doodles but couldn't because I realized my mom's recipe called for it. So, I thought it would be a good idea to have some on hand when the craving struck again.
Well, it struck. At first, I decided not to act on it. I had a myriad of reasons. First, I knew that I didn't need the cookies. While not on a diet, I tend to keep sweets out of the house because I know 8 pm Jen will sneak into the kitchen and decide she needs to eat them by the handful. In addition, I considered that my picky three-year-olds had never eaten snicker doodles, and may in fact decide they don't want any, hence my husband and I eating all three dozen of them. Then I let myself feel guilty about other things I could have been doing instead of baking: writing, cleaning, organizing, laundry, reading to my kids.
And then I realized I was thinking about this way too much. Not many weeks ago, I couldn't even stand long enough to make myself coffee, let alone a batch of cookies. And today, I can. Now, I'm not saying that we should always just jump headfirst into something simply because we can. But in that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking some sweet truth into my heart. He was showing me how baking these cookies could help me demonstrate my gratitude to the Lord for how much He has blessed me in my recovery. I can now put full weight on my surgically scarred leg. I can fully extend it and bend it to 116 degrees. And last week, I even jumped six weeks ahead in my physical therapy to squats and leg presses.
When looking at promises of healing in the Bible, I love the imagery painted in Malachi chapter 4. The prophet is distinguishing what will happen to the righteous versus the wicked on the day of Judgment. He writes that the Messiah will "rise with healing" in His wings, renewing those believers who remain so that they "will go out and frolic like well-fed calves." I'm not going to lie, I chuckled a little when I visualized myself frolicking like a calf out in a pasture, my legs bouncing and my head swaying side to side. Not a care in the world.
My sister is a large animal veterinarian, and she boards the occasional calf in her clinic when it needs special attention. She currently has one that was attacked by another animal. Her ears and tail took the brunt of the beating, but she's been slowly getting better. I heard that she finally got to go outside for the first time a couple of days ago, and she frolicked and mooed and was generally giddy. It was a sight to behold. Maybe God was onto something in this verse.
Like this young calf was dependent on the staff at the clinic, we are dependent upon God for our ultimate healing as His children. Earlier in chapter 3, the Lord says of those who fear Him, "they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
So today, though I'm not up to frolicking like a well-fed calf just yet, I sure am moving better than I was a week ago. I can look at God's graciousness in allowing me to heal from this surgery as a foretaste of the complete healing I will experience when I finally meet Him in heaven. And to express my gratitude, I have 36 freshly baked cookies cooling on the counter that I made without wincing in pain or having to sit down halfway through the process. I will pack them up and send them along to my children's school tomorrow for the teachers who are always deserving of a sweet treat. (Okay, maybe I'll have one or two first.)
And next time you begin to fell guilty friend, just make the cookies. And be so very thankful that you can.
