This is National Pancake Day.

Pancakes for breakfast! Who doesn’t love a stack of hot flapjacks, smothered in butter and syrup or fruit or sprinkled with sugar? But have you every eaten a cold, plain pancake? It’s tasteless and unappetizing. Piping hot and covered with toppings, and the combination works!

That’s the case with many food items. We add sugar or other ingredients to improve the taste. So it’s no wonder that we can approach other areas of life the same way. We may think, “I don’t care for this class, but if I can sit next to my friend, then it might be bearable,” or “I don’t care for my outfit, but if I add this touch of color, then it’ll be OK.”

Some take it a step further, thinking, “My life is rather bland, so I’ll spruce it up a bit.” Or, “I probably should be a better person. I’ll add a little God, a bit of Jesus. Then I’ll be better, well-rounded, and get to heaven too.” But in our spiritual lives, that doesn’t work.

We can’t just sprinkle a little spiritual sugar on our lives. Instead we must be completely changed, “born again.” That would be like a pancake becoming an omelet—a dramatic change would have to occur. No wonder Nicodemus had to ask Jesus to explain what it means to be born again. Becoming a follower of Christ means praying and turning over our lives to him. Then the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside and changes us from the inside out.

So enjoy your pancakes. But remember, becoming an omelet requires transformation.

Jesus replied, “I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

To Do

The next time you eat out for breakfast, order pancakes. Before pouring on the syrup, take a bite. Then thank God for making you completely different from the inside through his Spirit.

Also on this day . . .

This is International Polar Bear Day.

1974—People magazine was first issued by Time-Life (later known as Time-Warner).

1999—Colin Prescot and Andy Elson set a new hot air balloon endurance record when they had been aloft for 233 hours and 55 minutes. The two were in the process of trying to circumnavigate the Earth.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.