How do you like your ice cream? Plain vanilla? A banana sundae? Or maybe all mixed up in a Blizzard with M&Ms? (That’s been a favorite of mine since I was young.) Toppings enhance a nice scoop (or several scoops) of ice cream. But they’re extra, aren’t they?
Imagine serving an ice cream sundae but skipping the ice cream, offering only chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles. The recipient would be confused, asking, Where’s the ice cream? Where’s the main ingredient? A sundae without ice cream isn’t a sundae at all.
Yet, how often do we live as if we “have it all” when we’re really just living on the toppings? A cherry here, a swirl of whipped cream there—but not much of a sundae. No, we want the whole deal! Load me up and make it good!
God has placed people in our lives—friends, children, spouse, and others—who serve as the extra, but they cannot ever replace the original, the main ingredient- Jesus- in our lives.
Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is meant to be the main ingredient. He’s the ice cream. He’s the foundation of it all. Without Him, the toppings alone won’t do.
In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that He came so we might have life and life more abundantly. But that only happens when we have the right foundation. No one builds a sundae by starting with the cherry, then adding whipped cream, then nuts, and finally ice cream. There’s a reason that’s not a thing—people want their ice cream with toppings, not toppings with ice cream.
Have you unintentionally started at the wrong end of the assembly line in your life? Maybe you’ve added relationships, career success, or financial achievements, but without the Lord Jesus Christ as the foundation, those things will ultimately fall flat.
My dad, Pastor Rich Huston was known for saying , We’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing. When we put Jesus first, everything else—friendships, marriage, children, career, finances—becomes extra. A blessing, yes, but never the foundation. Trying to live off the sweetness of the toppings alone won’t satisfy. We would leave feeling defeated, hungry, and unfulfilled.
But when Jesus is our main scoop—our core—everything else finds its proper place.
I’ve been blessed to have people in my life who have reflected Jesus in a powerful way. My daddy was one of them. He showed me Jesus not just in his words but in how he lived—faithful, kind, steady. He was a Christ-like representative of God’s love for me.
But even the most wonderful relationships are not the foundation. When my dad went to heaven, I felt a deep loss. Not only had I lost my father, but I had also lost the tangible expression of Jesus he provided in my life. It was a reminder that while relationships are blessings, they are still just the toppings. They were never meant to replace the foundation.
Have you found yourself disappointed, frustrated, or unsatisfied in your friendships? Your marriage? Your relationship with your children? Your work or finances? Those things were never meant to be the foundation. They are the “extra toppings” God gives us, but our true source—our main ingredient—is Jesus.
This may seem like a simple object lesson, something I would have shared as a children’s church teacher, but the truth applies to all of us. We need to keep Jesus Christ at the center of our lives—not in a religious, obligatory way, but in a living, breathing, vital relationship. He must be our number one source for everything—comfort, love, provision, peace.
I am learning this myself, friends. It is a daily practice to keep Jesus first. But as I do, I find that He meets me, fills me, loves me, and is all that I need. Everything else? Just toppings for the sundae! They add joy, companionship, and blessings, but they are not the foundation. My foundation is Jesus Christ.
May this week be the time you allow Christ to take His rightful place—not as an afterthought, but as the main thing.
Are you struggling in your friendships? Worried about your marriage or children? Feeling disappointed in your job or finances?
I don’t mean to sound dismissive—these things matter deeply. But the key is to keep the main thing the main thing.
Talk to Jesus about it:
Jesus, I realize I have put You out of Your rightful place. I don’t even know how it happened, but I’m sorry. I want You to be first again. Show me how to surrender and put You at the center of my life.
When we do this, we shift from being seeds choked out by weeds (cares of this life) to seeds planted in good soil (our foundation- Jesus!) Read more in Matthew 13:1-23. Don’t let anything choke out your relationship with the Lord. Ask Him:
How do You want me to live with You as the center? Show me. I can’t do it on my own. I am tired of rules. I am tired of religion. I am tired of reaching for things that were only meant to be extra toppings, expecting them to be the main ingredient. Help me put You first again.
As we realign our hearts through the Holy Spirit, we will realize that abundant life is only possible when Jesus Christ is our source. Nothing else will satisfy. Nothing else will do. Everything else will fall short in comparison to who He is in our lives.
If you need a reminder of His love, here are a few blog posts to refresh your heart:
If you need a refresh about committing your life to Jesus, check out this new blog of mine:
I am praying for you, friend:
May Jesus Christ become your all in all. May you bow your heart afresh to His Lordship in your life. May you be blessed as you rely on Him as your main source. May He satisfy the longings of your heart more deeply and fully than anything else ever could. May you become the loved one He created you to be as you soak in Him every moment of every day.
He is your divine, never-ending source.
I am the vine, you are the branches. (John 15:5)
We aren’t meant to do life apart from Him. If we have been, it’s time to ask the Holy Spirit to help us make a change. May you experience life and life more abundantly as you live with Jesus as your Number One.
Let’s make this fun! Comment below with your favorite ice cream toppings! Lately, I’ve been all about banana splits, but as a kid, I had a love of DQ’s Peanut Buster Parfait! Ha ha!
Until next time,
P.S. I have a live video that posts each first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. MT. I’d love for you to join me! Head to https://www.youtube.com/@melanietalevski for more.
Melanie Talevski 