Is there a "Banana Cake" for you in 2025?

             Most families have at least one Christmas tradition.  Our family is no exception.  One of our traditions when I was growing up was my Mom’s banana cake.  She only made it once a year, at Christmas time, and the whole family loved it—even my Father who was a very picky eater.  Once the cake cooled, Mom would cut it down the middle and then hide half of it.  She wanted to make sure that we would still have some when friends or family dropped in.  We knew better than to search for her hiding place, and she knew that if she didn’t hide part of it, we would eat it all. 

            When my Mom got sick and could no longer bake the cake, my Dad decided that it was my job.  As my closest friends know, I am not much of a cook—although I’ve seen some improvement since I retired.  That first year was a disaster.  The cake was not edible and ended up in the garbage can.  Also, after that first year, I realized that we had never asked Mom why she only made the cake once a year.  It only took me one attempt to figure out the reason.  It was a lot of work!

            Fortunately, one disaster did not stop me from trying again, and for the next few years, I was successful in recreating Mom’s masterpiece.  Over the last two years, I decided to take a break from the tradition, telling myself it was just too much work.  After all, there were only a few of us left in the family that enjoyed the cake and the tradition, so why bother? 

This year, I decided it was time to continue the tradition.  So, last Sunday afternoon, I got out all the ingredients, measured carefully, mashed bananas, and chopped nuts until everything finally came together.  Once the cake was safely in the oven—about two hours after I started the process, I took one look at my kitchen and wondered it if was all worth it.  There was flour and sugar everywhere, lots of utensils to be washed, and then the floor needed to be swept and mopped.  In case you are wondering, I’m a messy cook.  When I was finally able to take that first bite, it was all worth it!  Just think of what I would have missed if I hadn’t been willing to put in the effort.

Our lives are a lot like making banana cake.  We all have goals and dreams—some of which seem impossible to attain, and some seem to be too much trouble to try to reach.  The only way that you can reach a goal or attain a dream is to do the hard work that it requires.  Granted, just like my first attempt at the banana cake, you might fail, but if you don’t ever try, you’ll never know. 

As we look ahead to the new year, what “banana cake” do you want to make?  Don’t abandon it just because it will require a lot of time and effort.  The result will be well worth the effort, and who knows what other lessons you might learn along the way.  I know I appreciated my Mom a whole lot more after I made the cake! 

Set your goals, put in the work, and if you fail the first time, get back up and try again.  Life isn’t always easy but who knows what kind of “banana cake” you might miss if you aren’t willing to put in the effort.

Proverbs 10: 4 & 13: 4

Galatians 6: 9