Ribbon Chocolate

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” -2Corinthians 12:9

I’m currently participating in a Bible study with a handful of beautiful women in my community. These weekly gatherings with fellow mamas, women of God, are so life-giving. We hail from different backgrounds, upbringings, churches and families. There’s a precious safety within our time together that I’ve come to cherish.

This week we were reviewing our study questions, one of which, I deemed a bit silly at first. It referenced the famous quote from Forrest Gump about life being as unpredictable as a box of chocolates, followed by the question: If you could choose a chocolate to describe your current life circumstance, which one would you choose and why? Cue my eye roll. I’ve always struggled with questions like this. I don’t quite understand the point. But, I’m a good student, so after releasing a heavy sigh, I closed my eyes and thought it over. I thought, and thought, and thought. I listed off all the types of chocolate candies and confections I could, unable to make a sensical connection to my “current life circumstance.” But then, I asked myself, what is my life circumstance exactly? Perhaps if I answered that first, I could find a chocolate to match the description.

Here’s what I jotted down: trying to be everything to everyone, reliable, familiar, fragile… doesn’t always measure up. Whew. My brief little brainstorm was more honest than I expected. In a few short minutes I managed to lay bare my raw, unfiltered view of my life currently. I’m feeling the weight of responsibility to meet the needs of my family, to be the glue holding us all together. I’m pouring myself out and shouldering the burdens of those close to me. I’ve always been the reliable one. The pressure is real, and when it becomes too much, my smooth exterior begins to crack. Try as I might to maintain stability for the sake of those around me, I sometime fall short. I’m not always enough. This struggle is so very familiar to me; it’s a season that cycles through like the tide.

It took me a minute (and a short conversation with Chat GPT) to find a type of chocolate that mostly fit my vulnerable thoughts. The result was ribbon chocolate: smooth, delicate shavings of chocolate stripped and pulled into curls or fashioned into long, luxurious ribbons that add beauty and finesse to any pastry. It makes sense really. Chocolate, in and of itself, is reliable. It’s the go-to preference for the majority of people. Chocolate is what we turn to when we’re celebrating or when we’re struggling. When melted, it works as a binder to hold pastry parts together. When cooled, it forms a hard shell, smooth and strong. To create ribbons of chocolate, it must first be cut and shaved from a larger block. It needs the right balance of hot and cold to become malleable and take its shape in the form of indulgent curls. It’s beautiful, but when pressure is induced or its stable environment changes, it weakens and becomes fragile. Boy, this connected on nearly every level. But perhaps what resonated most with me, was chocolate’s ability to reform and renew itself after it’s been broken or melted down. Too much pressure can cause it to crack into a thousand pieces, and too much warmth can cause it to lose its shape and deteriorate into a sticky puddle, but it can always be made whole again. In the hands of a skilled pastry chef, ribbons that have succumb to hardship can be tempered and smoothed out again. It’s the fragility of chocolate that makes it so resilient.

Chocolate, when melted down for ribbons, is at its most pliable; it can be shaped, pulled, stretched, and spread paper thin without breaking. This is when it’s in the hands of a creator, of someone with a vision for what it can be. But once the chocolate has cooled and hardened, it becomes vulnerable to breakage. What a sweet reminder that when I submit to the hands of my Creator, He can create in me something so pleasing and elegant. But when I pride myself in being the glue that holds my world together, exuding a hard exterior that appears tough and flawless, I can easily crack under the pressure.

The Lord tells me in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that His power is made perfect in my weakness. In other words, God’s strength shines brightest when I am at my most frail. When I center my heart on this reassurance, I can’t help but choke back tears. There are plenty of days when I display strength, stability, beauty even, but there are plenty more when I falter. The ways in which I fall short are immeasurable. Those cracks in my armor, the trials by fire, the change in my circumstances which cause me to fall apart, these all create space for God to exhibit His power. In the hands of my capable and loving Father, my brokenness can be made whole again. My own strength and ability is woefully insufficient, but His grace, oh His endless grace, is enough.

I’ve been watching videos today of ribbon chocolate being made. The process is mesmerizing. Each pastry chef I observed took such care and intention with every step. The melted chocolate is smooth and creamy, rich in color, spread and scraped into just the right form before it’s gently folded and twisted into its oh so delicate shape. One pastry chef pointed out, “The method is messy, and it can take many failures, but the result will be worth it.”

Perhaps comparing my life circumstances to chocolate isn’t so silly and pointless as I thought. It seems chocolate and I have a lot in common.

Study & Reflection: Read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 on your own. In what areas of your life do you feel weak? Where are you feeling the pressure? How have you seen God’s sufficiency in that weakness? Reflect on your current life circumstances. Write out the words that come to mind. Can you think of a type of chocolate that best exhibits what your wrote?

Prayer: Father, God, Creator, thank you for exhibiting your power in my weakness. Thank you for your all-sufficient grace that is more than enough when I am not. Help me to patiently trust you in seasons when I am feeling stretched, pulled and fashioned into who You want me to be. When the burdens and pressure of life prove too much, help me to rely on Your power and your strength. For when I am weak, You are strong. Amen.