PBPGINFWMY
posted by on 12/29/08
The dream of all gingerbread is to one day be a gingerbread house, set on a pedestal and admired by many a passerby. This season a fortunate piece of gingerbread was bought and masterfully glued together with icing into the shape of nothing less than a house! “Oh how exciting! It 
actually happened to me! I have arrived! I am a gingerbread house!” But as I looked at the simple frame of our unfinished gingerbread house, I had different thoughts. Because I knew what it could be. How similar we could sound as Christians. “Oh how exciting! I have been forgiven and am on my way to Heaven! I have the indwelling Holy Spirit! I am living the Christian life!” While you should never cease to wonder in gratitude over these truths, you must realize this is only the beginning! God has an incredible plan to expand on this foundation if you will have a learning spirit, a desire to move forward, and a willingness to let Him work on you.
Let Him smear wet sticky stuff all over you to create a blanket of snow edged with icicles, let Him cut up your little decorations to add wreaths
and stained glass windows, let Him chisel a hole in you so that the cross will fit, let Him scrape away your rough edges to complete what He has in mind. You may look like you are under construction at times, but isn’t that better than staying the way you are?
Look at the lowly gingerbread house now! Wow! It never even dreamed of having a steeple put on and becoming a church! Look at the intricate details! Don’t be content to just be a gingerbread house! Let God make you all he want you to be! Be willing to go through it all so that He can conform you to the image of His Son! Don’t be discouraged! You are moving forward. Rejoice! He has a vision for you, He will not stop until He has finished the work He began. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Phil.1:6 He wants you to be all you can be!
You may be wondering why I titled the post PBPGINFWMY. These letters are inscribed on a pin that Dad picked up from the Basic Seminar. They stand for the words: Please Be Patient God Is Not Finished With Me Yet. I’m being worked on at the moment, and I’m so glad! His vision is far greater than my dream. With this confidence no construction is too great. He is trustworthy. “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.” Isaiah 64:4
Wow, I must admit I marveled at that little West Virginia church every bit as much as the giant gingerbread Indianapolis Training Center (linked to in this post)! It must have been a joy to work on! Thank you for the reminder Esther–what a simple and vivid way to remember that God isn’t finished with us yet.
Wow! That must be one of the most beautiful gingerbread houses I’ve ever seen! I like the practical application, Esther. I know I am in the rough stage, but God will do so much more than I can even dream!
What an amazing piece of art. I don’t see how anybody could eat it after all the work put into it. Not to mention that it looks too lovely to eat! I love the accompanying analogy. It reminds me of a story I heard Dr. Guthrie tell about “a lump of clay”.
That is a thought-provoking analogy, Esther. It’s amazing how “everyday” happenings can be meaningful when we dwell on things of the Lord. Thanks for posting!
The title of the post quickly caught my eye and caused no little wonder – great attention grabber
. A powerful analogy that, as Crystal mentioned, reminds me of the story of Gideon’s clay pot. Another excellent reminder of the powerful truths that exist all throughout our day.
Good to hear from everyone! Did any of you make gingerbread houses this year? We usually start eating ours at the start of the new year when it’s good and stale.
Happy New Year’s Eve!
That was fun to make! Helping James get the lighting just right on the 8th picture was a challenging experiment! It worked! Thanks, Esther, for the sweet report.
Thanks, Esther, for taking time to share this beautiful analogy! I really needed to be reminded of these truths today. My heart has been encouraged!
Mmmmmm. For those who are wondering, the house tasted as good as it looked.