I enjoy baking, especially peanut butter oatmeal cookies. I’ve convinced myself that the peanut butter and oats make these treats healthy and the fact the recipe doesn’t require sugar is a bonus in my book.

Recently, I decided to try to improve my tried-and-true recipe. So, as I blended the peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla, I threw in a scoop of protein powder. I hoped to use these protein-packed goodies as a mid-day pick-me-up and avoid the energy slump that hits around 3:00 PM.

I noticed as I mixed the ingredients the batter became stiff. I added the oats and a few raisins but I have to confess; I was a little concerned. And then an interesting thing happened. The batter changed color from peanut butter brown to an interesting shade of green. I assume the color shift was a product of the plant-based protein powder or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. I continued to stir, but regardless of how much I mixed, the batter just wouldn’t stick together. Being the persistent problem-solving baker that I am, I added more peanut butter and then a little more. By the time I was done, I had emptied a 16-ounce jar of peanut butter into my bowl but the batter still wouldn’t form a ball. So, I went on a hunt looking for more and once all the peanut butter in the house was gone, the greenish mixture began to stick together. I spooned the dough onto the cookie sheets, placed them in the oven, and set the timer for the required nine minutes. They smelled amazing and from my vantage point, peering through the oven window, looked beautiful. When the timer went off, I removed the pans from the oven and set them aside to cool.

My husband is my food tester. So, I took him a warm cookie for his stamp of approval. As I handed him the napkin, the cookie disintegrated into a handful of crumbs. We looked at each other and the only thing he could do was pour the warm goodness into his mouth. Trying to find the kindest way to provide his critique, he said, “I can taste the peanut butter and protein powder. The cookie tastes good but it is a little dry!” That was an understatement. My creation was about as dry as the Mojave desert in mid-summer!

Adding protein powder to my beloved cookie recipe had failed, miserably. But I must say, it made some of the best yogurt crumble topping I have recently eaten. 

Sometimes my efforts don’t turn out the way I plan. Sometimes they turn into crumble topping–not exactly what I intended but still usable. But there are times, my efforts need to be scrapped-I just need to start over. Yet with each failure, there is an opportunity to learn something, something about myself and something about God.

I wonder if you’ve ever found yourself planning and preparing only to have your circumstances change or your interest grow cold. Perhaps the thing you felt was the answer to all the anxious waiting has landed on your doorstep and now you wonder if it is really what you wanted. Whether it is the position you spent years working towards, the boyfriend now husband that is no longer fulfilling the fantasy, or that dream that came after years of tears and countless prayers but now they all have lost their appeal. It is so hard when the planning turns to crumbs and slips through your fingers into the crevices of your memories.

Yet, just as my cookie fiasco had pretty straightforward solutions, don’t mess with a good recipe and stick with drinking your protein powder, the success of our life decisions has a relatively simple formula, ask God first and follow up with him often.

Throughout my life, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time planning and strategizing. After all, it was what I did for a living. But somewhere between the 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM success, I started depending on the same strategy for my personal life. I stopped asking for God’s direction. I stopped seeking his wisdom. This strategy had worked for me professionally, well until it didn’t, and that taste of success was all that was needed to keep me pushing forward under my own strength. It’s funny how pride can blind us to God’s truth. If Satan can keep us striving under our power, he has us right where he wants us – teetering on the slippery slope of self-sufficiency and arrogance.

As I started thinking about this year. I started with a single question, “What would God have me do?” And I have attempted to keep that question front and center as I navigate every opportunity, each request, every good thing that comes my way. I don’t want to be so distracted by all the things I could put on my plate that I miss the one thing God would have me do. And I already see him working. He has closed some doors, caused me to wait on entering others, and allowed me to have the time to breathe and learn to trust him.

Beloved, I will be praying for you this year. Praying you take the time to ask God what he would have you do. And I encourage you to wait for him to respond. Don’t fall prey to the pressure of filling the silence with things you want to do, think you should be doing, or those you’ve been asked to consider. Just wait. You might be amazed at how God takes the crumbs of your life and uses them to shape your faith.

God has a plan for your year, for your life. You can trust him.  

"The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
 I will advise you and watch over you. "

Psalm 32:8 - New Living Translation

Be Blessed,

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Just in case you’re interested, here is my favorite cookie recipe.

Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 18 cookies

Author Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter (just peanuts + salt) or other nut butter
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (optional or use less)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup rolled oats (gluten-free if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips, dairy-free if desired, or raisins
• Flakey sea salt for sprinkling on top (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl mix together the oats and baking soda; set aside.
3. In a large bowl mix peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, then gently fold in chocolate chips.
4. Roll cookies into 2-inch dough balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. BARELY flatten the top of the cookie with your hand. The dough should be pretty sticky so if you find this method annoying, simply use a cookie scoop to drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. The cookies may not be as round and perhaps a bit thicker, but that’s okay, they will still be delicious!
5. Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes and remove when edges barely begin to turn a golden brown. The cookies may look a little underdone, but they will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven. 
6. Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle each cookie with flakey sea salt. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Makes 16-20 cookies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie 

Calories: 178cal | Carbohydrates: 17.4g | Protein: 4.8g  

Fat: 10.2g | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 13g