Growing up with various kinds of puddings for dessert, one afternoon when I was about nine years old, one of my sisters and I chose to make some for ourselves. We decided Tapioca pudding, a favorite of ours, would be a good choice for our first independent venture into the world of stovetop dessert cooking. We entered into the task with excitement as well as determination to produce a delectable Tapioca.

Our intentions were all well and good, but somewhere along the way we mixed up the instructions and instead of the Tapioca pudding we had come to love, we ended up with what could best be described as a rubbery glob in the pan. It did not, in any way, shape, or form resemble the pudding we had set out to make. While we were disappointed that day, over the years, when we reminisce about it, we have a good laugh as we remember the day we learned how NOT to make Tapioca pudding.

That day, we also learned that sometimes things are more difficult than they might appear, while it may be easy to read about something it is not necessarily easy to do it, and sometimes… oftentimes, it takes more than once to do something well. It is not so different from faithfulness to God and trying to put faith into action. Patience, perseverance, and proper focus are key ingredients.

In many things, an openness to tweaks, changes, and new ways, as well as always leaving room for potential improvement are essential. With this and prayer, nothing is ever failure, but instead everything is simply part of one’s journey. And, ultimately, the proof is always in the pudding, but only when we take courage, and give it a good, honest taste (or look).

A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. – Luke 6:43-45