Which do you prefer a half empty cup, or a full cup? Maybe you want even more! The Bible uses the illustration of fullness to show the depth of joy a Believer can experience. It is often illustrated as the difference between better and best.
A non-verbal 2 year old boy in our preschool demonstrated this truth quite innocently during our prince and princess party last week. We got special iced animal crackers to share with the children, offering a few at a time. One little boy gladly accepted the first two offered to him, and then the next two offered. On the third return to child’s napkin, the little fellow had brought one of the toy cups from the play kitchen. He held it out so it could be filled to the brim!
Many of us would gladly settle for half a cup, but Jesus exhorts us to desire that full cup of joy. He wants us to love Him wholeheartedly, unreservedly, and He wants us to trust Him enough to obey Him.
Let us pray:
LORD, you are my strength and my song; you also have become my salvation. Therefore with joy let me draw water from the wells of salvation. Your joy is my strength. You are my joy and my strength. Let me know you in this way.
Iced Animal Cookies
Ingredients
· 2 cups flour
· ¾ teaspoon baking soda
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 1 1/4cups sugar
· 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
· 1 large egg
· 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
· 1 11 ½ ounce bag white chocolate chips
· 2 tablespoons multicolored nonpareil sprinkles
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla, scraping the bowl as necessary. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients on low speed.
2. Shape the dough into 2 balls. Place each ball between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll out to a 10-inch round. Slide onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a 2 1/2-inch animal-shape cookie cutter, cut the dough into cookies, gathering scraps and re-rolling until all the dough has been cut. Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment-paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake until the edges are golden-brown, 15-20 minutes. Let cool.
4. In a small saucepan, melt the white chocolate over low heat, stirring, until glossy. Using a small offset spatula, spread the chocolate on the cookies and transfer to a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet. Top with the sprinkles. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
Tips- Make your cookies pretty thick (at least 1/4 inch) so they are firm and won't snap while being dunked in melted chocolate. If you are using “store bought dough”, put your cookies in when they are really cold; don't let your dough soften. You can also cut, and put in the fridge or freezer so it's firm dough. If you bake it too soft, it will puff up and be unrecognizable blobs of shapes.
