Once a month, Jason and I will go to the bargain grocery store and check out what they've gotten in recently that we can use. For the most part, it's a "scratch and dent" kind of place, but you'd be amazed at the discount you can get on some of this stuff just because the cans are ugly.

Anyway, when we go, he tries to stock up on coffee because they'll carry brands that we usually can't afford at a VERY good price. His recent discovery was a lovely hazelnut blend. I love hazelnuts, and usually the smell of anything with hazelnut in it makes my mouth water. That was not the reaction I had yesterday morning when I first smelled the coffee.

"What's that smell?" I asked wrinkling my nose and trying to calm the tickle in the back of my throat. My first thought was that Jason had spilled some of the cinnamon deodorizer that he uses for work. It didn't take me long to realize it was the coffee. I turned the coffee pot off and grabbed the new can of coffee, searching the label for the ingredients. Coffee, Natural and artificial flavors. Hmm, well, I can tell you what one of those flavors is.

I called Jason. "How was your coffee?"

"Great. It's really good. In fact, you might even like it." (No, he wasn't kidding. He didn't realize it had cinnamon in it.)

"No," I replied. "I don't think I'll care for it. In fact, I already don't like it." By this time, my throat was closing up, my eyes were watering, and I could feel a headache coming on. Even my own home is not cinnamon-proof this time of year. What's a girl to do?

As much as I hate it, Jason will have to give away a perfectly good can of coffee. (Anyone like hazelnut coffee with a touch of cinnamon?) This reminds me that in food, all does not necessarily work together for good.

In life, however, we are assured that God is in control. He sees the big picture. He knows the entire plan. He has His eyes on the beginning and the end. He will see that all things work together for good.

Things may not seem good now, but the rest of the story has not yet been told. God is in control of all the ingredients, and He will blend them together in a way that only He can to bring about a result that only He can imagine. Whatever you're going through today, be patient and trust that God will be true to His Word. Trust in His ingredients.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28