How Cake in my Fridge is a Perfect Lesson for Life

Someone put cake in my fridge. You’re probably thinking “Wow, what a blessing.” But that is not what I’m thinking. This is a serious problem!

Before you roll your eyes and leave the Back Porch, let me explain. If I buy healthy groceries and fill my refrigerator with things I should eat, I am free. I can open my fridge to my hearts delight and eat whatever I want. I have no parameters and nothing to worry about. There is no fear of slipping up or of regret.

But when someone puts cake in there, all bets are off. I am faced with temptation and fear of failure every time I open the door. For example, I adore brussels sprouts and tomatoes. I eat them both like candy. But when the choice becomes brussels sprouts and tomatoes, or cake, my will power is going to have the fight of its life. Sooner or later, I’m going to make a choice I regret.

“Page one is a diet, page two is a chocolate cake. It’s a no-win situation.”

Kim Williams

I know this about myself, so I have safeguarded my fridge. It is separate from the one my kids use. It is out in the garage, where people are not likely to offload things like cake. I am intentional and I set myself up for success.

But today there is cake. And this is a perfect picture of life. Switch gears with me here.

My fridge is like my life. As long as I fill my life with Godly things, I can enjoy it with abandon. If my friends, clothes, finances, music, pastimes, reading material, etc. are honoring to God, I am free to live and revel in it all. I don’t have to be worried about bad influences or making poor choices.

If I keep things around that I know are trouble, I am going to be tempted. I am going to struggle and fail. In the long run, the things I add or keep, because I think they will be too hard to give up, will just enslave me. They will constantly steal my joy.

Just like the cake must be removed from my fridge, anything which should not be in my life has to be discarded. It may be sweet, it might be enticing, it might promise a moment of enjoyment. But eventually, it will result in sorrow. The only way to be completely free is to prayerfully set limits, protect them, and stay within them.

God’s ways allow us complete freedom to enjoy life.
We encounter trouble when we try to go our own way.

I remember seeing this cartoon many years ago. God has given us parameters. If we heed them, we are completely free and totally safe. We can enjoy everything He has created for us without fear or care. He does not withhold anything worthwhile from His kids. But the moment we believe we know better, or get deceived into thinking the grass is greener elsewhere, we get ourselves into trouble.

Is there anything in your life which is akin to cake in my fridge? Have you allowed anything to slip in which is stealing your joy and getting in the way of your freedom? Friend nothing is worth the headache. Purge the things you know are trouble. Reset your resolve to honor the guard rails God has set for you. Keep it simple and thrive!

I’m grateful for this lesson. I want to keep my life uncomplicated. I want to surround myself with good choices so I can enjoy complete freedom within healthy boundaries. Thanks for hearing me out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go remove some cake from my fridge.

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Quick clarification: cake is wonderful. If you have cake in your fridge, I’m not suggesting you have to throw it away. I have committed to healthy eating for a while for reasons of my own.

The more important idea here is the life lesson that having cake in my fridge has illustrated. There are certainly things in our lives that shouldn’t be. Those are the things with which we should be concerned. Those things, with God’s help, we should toss out and never allow back in.

Friend, you are so precious and so loved. Thanks for reading.