What do we do when we forget the one thing we need? When I was a tween, I noticed the Rice Crispies box and thought making rice crispy treats would be great. The box had a recipe, so I thought I was all set. I started mixing the cereal with butter and tried to mold my squares onto the pan. I put them in the oven and anticipated having a treat soon. To my disappointment, I found a sheet of cereal when I took them out of the oven. There were no squares because I overlooked the simple three-ingredient recipe for needing marshmallows. Have you ever forgotten a step or a detail?

In moments when we leave out a detail, we may make a mental note to ourselves to do better next time. You vowed not to make that mistake again if you’re like me. If we leave something out, it’s okay. We can learn from it. And if we leave it out a second time, we can learn from it again. I don’t think I have tried to make rice crispy treats again, but if I ever do, I know to double-check that I have all the ingredients first.

While many can whip up a recipe without a measuring cup, I have to stick to the measuring cup. It’s what works best for me since I am prone to leave out ingredients or add too much or not enough. Isn’t that kind of like our lives sometimes? We measure ourselves based on what others say, think, or do.

Do you ever feel like you’re too much or not enough? When we measure ourselves by human standards, we never truly find what we need. The truth is, we’re mixing in the wrong ingredients when we do that.

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Isaiah 40:12

When we decide not to use the human standard measuring cup, we can be our authentic selves intended by our Maker. God, in His magnificence, is the only One who can measure the ocean waters and set the boundary lines on earth. Only God defines who you are. Trusting God rather than others allows us to see ourselves and others in the best light.

Sometimes, we forget what we need. It can be easy to forget something in a noisy, busy life. It could be that we have too many ingredients added to our day when all we need is that three-ingredient recipe. Of course, not rice crispy treats, though, that I tried to make in my younger days. All we need is our Father God, Holy Spirit, and Jesus – the three-ingredient recipe that goes together perfectly.