Everyone Can Be the Chocolate Chip. (It's Glorious.)

I was driving in the car with some friends a few years ago, and we were talking about how much we admire an acquaintance of ours.

She seems to have it all together.  (I say "seems" because it's hard to really know what's going on in another person's life when you don't know them very well.)

But from what we can tell, she's a great mom, she dresses impeccably, her house is gorgeous, she's thoughtful and talented, and every time she does something fabulous (which is just about every day), we feel like we simply can't compare.

Sounds really petty, doesn't it?

But we weren't talking about that because we were being petty.  We were trying to figure out our places in life.  We wanted to know how we were supposed to "shine" and fulfill our unique purposes when clearly we didn't have as much to offer as this other person.

One of my friends said, "You know, I just think of humankind as a chocolate chip cookie. We each play a part in creating the whole.  Some of us are the flour, the salt, or the sugar.  And some of us are the lard.  Even though we're all important, not everyone can be the chocolate chips."

I thought about that for awhile.  I've actually thought about that for a few years.

Sometimes, when I was having a down day, I would say to myself, "I guess I'm just the lard in this humankind cookie.  It's okay if I can't be a chocolate chip."

Wow, that depressed me.

But then I heard this song called "Glorious."

It was recorded for an album produced by a church conference called "Especially For Youth." (But for those of you who aren't religious, don't worry.  It's actually a religion-neutral song that could be applied to anyone in the world.  I think that's why I like it so much.)

I'm almost embarrassed to admit how many times I've listened to this song.  I play it while I clean the kitchen.  I play it in the car over and over again--especially when I'm driving alone.  I put it on "repeat" while I'm typing up pages for Power of Moms.  It's a gentle, beautiful song that somehow reaches right into my center and helps me remember who I am and who I'm meant to be.

This morning as I was listening to it on the way home from the school drop-off, I just felt like I should share it . . . because I'm really glad that someone shared it with me.

Click here to listen.



I really hope you'll listen to the whole thing a few times so you can think about all the lyrics, but one of my favorite parts is the chorus:


It's like a symphony.
Just keep listening.
And pretty soon you'll start to figure out your part.
Everyone plays a piece, and there are melodies in each one of us.
Oh, it's glorious. 

Don't you love that part . . . about how everyone has a melody to play?  If we were to apply the cookie analogy, I think that means that every single one of us has "chocolate chips" to offer.  Sure, every moment doesn't feel fabulous and meaningful and life-changing.  But each of us has something unique to do with our time here, and every ingredient of our lives contributes to a great whole.

During my scripture study this morning, I was looking closely at the word Glorious. I like the subtopics listed in the Topical Guide.  (You can see the guide here, if you'd like.)

I clicked on the word "Glorify," and I came across this scripture: 

Thou art my servant . . . in whom I will be glorified.  -Isaiah 49:3

That's what it comes down to for me.  I'm a servant.  And my purpose is to glorify God.

He doesn't require our homes to look a certain way or for our clothes to impress anyone.  He doesn't compare us to His other children.

He sees our hearts and magnifies our weaknesses, and wherever we are in our lives, we need to remember that we were created.  By a King.  And that's glorious.

Much love,
April