CHOCOLATE SOUP

I once read that Silence is golden...unless you have kids; then silence is just suspicious. And it was quiet, very quiet. I called out, “Charlotte!”

“Yes!” she answered. I followed her sweet voice into the kitchen. If you know anything about Charlotte, you know she loves to cook and serve, especially to her father. She loved making her father all kinds of interesting culinary creations and serving him. I sensed that was what she was up to in the kitchen. “This is for Dah-dee’s breakfast!” she said as I watched her add more ingredients to the already mysterious concoction she stirred. There was oatmeal, pancake mix, uncooked grits, Old Bay seasoning, raw egg, and only God really knows what else. She stirred it up, spooned it into a bowl, and was ready to go.

 “I made you breakfast!” she said to Tensley as she handed him the bowl.

“Awwww! Thank you, Bayyy-bee!” he exclaimed, taking the mystery food. He placed it down and gave her a big hug and kiss. I cleared my throat to get his attention. He looked up at me, still smiling from the sweet gesture.

“DO NOT EAT THAT!” I mouthed to him, waving my hands rapidly. Unless he wanted salmonella poisoning, he would be wise to heed my advice. He laughed as they ended their embrace.

“Chocolate Soup, Dah-dee, try it!” she exclaimed. I tried to distract her to give him time to somehow avoid eating the chocolate soup, which, by the way, had no chocolate in it, but she stayed laser-focused on Dah-dee. Never one to back down from a challenge, Tensley grabbed the spoon and took a big bite of the chocolate soup.

“Mmmmm, baby!” he said as he chewed, and I prayed. “This is amazing! This is dynamite!” I had to give it to him. He went a lot further than I would have. This is the type of stuff that made him a super dad! He saw his baby’s heart, knew all she wanted to do was please him, and, at the risk of his own health, gladly accepted her offering.

“Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering” (Gen. 4-5). Have you ever wondered why God did not accept Cain's offering? At a glance, it might even seem unfair. How did the brothers know what type of offering to bring? Maybe Cain did not get the memo. Did he bring the wrong type of offering? Was Cain’s offering a poorer quality than his brothers'? Maybe Abel just got lucky. Scripture reveals that God accepted both blood and grain offerings, and Cain's offering would actually have been visually pleasing while Abel’s was a bloody mess (Leviticus 2). Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” The difference between the sacrifices was faith. God respected and accepted Abel’s offering because it was made by faith. His focus was not on the actual sacrifices; He was looking at their hearts (1 Sam. 16:7).

In Genesis 4:6-7, the LORD asks Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted?” This was Cain's chance to correct the error of his heart, repent, and turn from his ways. Instead, Cain murdered his brother (8). God was right not to accept his offering; Cain had an evil heart. Cain gave an offering with an evil heart; Abel gave with a heart whose desire was to be pleasing to the LORD.

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sings a song called “Pleasing.” Its lyrics are inspired by Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth, the meditation of my heart be acceptable, LORD, to You. May the songs that I sing, my life and offering, be ye pleasing, LORD, to You. All my heart I give; I want to live pleasing LORD to You.”

“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1Sam. 16:7). God does not scrutinize the ingredients of our Chocolate Soup; He is looking at our hearts. He is looking for a child who loves Him. He is looking for a child whose motives are pure, one who, by faith, brings their best offering. A child whose heart's desire is to be pleasing to the Father.