Chocolate Chips: "Blessings Scattered in the Mix"

Chocolate Chips: "Blessings Scattered in the Mix"

Finding Sweetness in Life's Bitter Moments

I once saw blessings even in chaos; chocolate chips remind me of scattered gifts God plants, even when life feels bitter.

The rain drummed against the tent walls as I sat cross-legged on a cot, sharing my last chocolate bar with three children who hadn't smiled in weeks. Their eyes lit up at that first taste of sweetness-a tiny spark of joy in a refugee camp where hope felt as scarce as clean water.

Maria, barely eight years old, savoured each small piece as if it were treasure. "It tastes like before," she whispered in broken English, her fingers still sticky with chocolate. In that moment, I realized something profound: even in the harshest places, God plants unexpected gifts.

Years later, back in my own kitchen in India, I find myself thinking of Maria every time I fold chocolate chips into cookie dough. The chips scatter randomly through the pale batter, some clustering together, others standing alone-much like the blessings God weaves through our ordinary days.

I remember the elderly man in Cox’s Bazar, who shared his last cup of tea with strangers. The nurse in Haiti who sang lullabies to orphaned children after eighteen-hour shifts. The grandmother in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, who taught neighbourhood kids to read using pages from water-damaged books after the Tsunami. These moments weren't accidents-they were intentional gifts from a father who knows we need sweetness to survive the bitterness.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." [James 1:17] In fact, James knew this truth intimately. He understood that even when life feels like plain, unsweetened dough, God has already mixed in what we need.

Sometimes I catch myself focusing only on life's challenges-the bills, the loneliness, the uncertainty of being out of work for the last four years, of having moved to a distant land with my dear wife not knowing what next and also the burden of supporting our two lads who are still studying. But then I remember: the unexpected phone call from an old friend wishing for my birthday, the stranger who held the door at the mall, the sunset that stopped me mid-step as strolled by the wharf, the child's giggle in the grocery store line. These aren't coincidences. They're chocolate chips of grace, scattered by hands that see our need before we do.

David wrote in Psalm 31:19, "How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you." God's pantry never runs empty. His blessings aren't always wrapped in bright packages of silver or red colour paper, sometimes they come disguised as ordinary Tuesday afternoons or difficult conversations that lead to deeper understanding.

The next time life feels overwhelming; I challenge you to look for chocolate chips. They're there hidden in a coworker's encouragement, a child's hug, the way morning light falls across your kitchen table, or even in the strength you discover within yourself during challenging times.

The Wayfarer’s Reflection

Like chocolate chips in cookie dough, God's blessings are scattered throughout our days-sometimes clustered, sometimes standing alone, but always purposefully placed. Even in life's most challenging seasons, His gifts of grace sweeten our journey. The key is learning to recognize them, taste them, and share them with others who need a taste of hope. When we train our hearts to notice these hidden treasures, we begin to understand that we are never truly alone in our struggles.

Prayer in Poetry

Your gifts fall gently through each day,
In common moments tucked away.
Sweet mercies mixed in ordinary hours,
Your love revealed in small, quiet powers.