Will Work for Jello

One of the signs that hangs in my office says, "Will Work for Jello." This came from my best friend Amy but signifies a standing tradition. For the 4 years that I served in Memphis, we had jello as one of our snacks during the week of VBS. No matter what craziness the week of VBS may hold, no matter what challenges I may face, I knew that at some point that week I would be rewarded with jello. And for whatever reason, that brought me joy. I could face the trials that awaited me because I was gonna get jello! You see I love jello. Its one of those things that makes me happy inside and takes me back to childhood. As an adult I can make jello any time I want but its just not the same as when someone else makes it.
There are a lot of times in life where things are crazy and chaotic and you just feel like giving in. Maybe its Vacation Bible School, or starting a new program at your church, taking over new responsibility, or something big going on at home. Life is filled with things that can weigh us down and tempt us with throwing in the towel. But I have some encouragement for you in the form of jello. No I am not going to send jello to anyone who comments and says they are going through a rough or stressful time, though that would be a nice thing to do. Instead I would like to encourage you to break down whatever it is that seems like the unclimbable mountain. Take things one step at a time, one day at a time, one task at a time. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13  that  God will never give us more than we can handle. We have to believe in that promise, and trust that God will see us through. Lets face it, even though I would like to believe it does, jello never held any magical power to make my week of VBS go any better. The truth was that by taking things one day at a time, and honestly at some points one hour at a time, I was able to make it to the end of my goal. Jello was just one of the rewards I gained along the way for making it to the goals I had set. I heard an old saying that in order to eat an elephant you must do it one bite at a time. And the same is true with any large problem. Equipped with the knowledge that God will not give you more than you can handle, and the wisdom to know the steps you need to take, any problem or project can be won.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed and like there is no way I can accomplish the task in front of me, I look up at my sign and remember my motivation.  One step at a time, all the way to the top of the mountain, always remembering to reward myself along the way.

Gracefully Growing at The Grove
Miss Megan