God's character · Responding to trials

How We Turn Our Treasures Into Curses

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Treasures and Curses

When I was a 7 year-old girl, I really, really wanted a bike.  The children in our neighborhood rode their bikes on the sidewalks, and had such fun.  I knew I was missing out not being able to do the same!  So, for Christmas I asked, begged and prayed for a bike.  What a special surprise to find my longing fulfilled on Christmas Eve!  It was a purple/pink Schwinn with a bell and streamers.  I could hardly wait to join my friends, once the Michigan snow cleared.

Finally spring came, but there was just one problem – I hadn’t learned to ride a two-wheel bike yet!  My dad came to the rescue, doing what dad’s do best – holding onto my wobbly bike’s seat and running along side, yelling out instructions –

Keep your eyes in front – not on me.

Keep pedaling.

Keep your body in the center of the bike.

It was much harder than I imagined it would be! The afternoon when my bike met the tree trunk, and my lip the met the dirt, I was sure this bike wasn’t such a great idea!  Who thought of trying to stay upright on two wheels, anyway?! From that day on, when my dad would try to get me out to try to learn to ride, I’d run!  That bike wasn’t a special gift; it was a curse!

Yesterday’s post  showed us how Joseph’s brother’s assumed God was cursing them when they found the money for the food they’d gotten in Egypt was still in their sacks.  They assumed they would be severely punished for this.  When they told Joseph’s servant, he answered that God had given them treasure in their sacks. It was a gift of kindness, put into Joseph’s heart by their God! If only they could have seen the gift for what it was they wouldn’t have had to take that Pepto Bismol for their upset stomachs (okay, the Scripture doesn’t say that, but you know their stomach’s were churning in fear!).

What a difference a biblical perspective gives us!  Joseph’s brothers jumped to the same conclusions we do!  Consider how we respond in these kind of situations:

  • Those children for whom we prayed, begin a pattern of poor behavior and defiance, and suddenly the gift of motherhood has become a curse!
  • We moved into the house of our dreams.  It was roomy and big enough for our family AND for guests.  But we look at all the that hardwood and see so many floors to mop, and suddenly that gift of a house is a curse!
  • We prayed to be married, and he was the man of our dreams at the altar.  But over time we see his sinfulness and are disappointed.  He’s no longer a treasure; now he’s a curse!
  • We watched God give the perfect job and we were grateful.  But when we meet up with a difficult fellow-employee or two, that job becomes a curse!
  • To have a computer at home to work with eases so much – we can pay bills, shop or connect with friends, but on the day there is no Internet service that thing turns into a curse!
  • When we found our church we were thankful for its teaching, it’s congregation and it ministries, but when we see that not everything is done the way we think it should be done, those blessings are now a curse!
  • …You add whatever difficulty has touched your life recently.

All along, those things were all “treasures in our sacks,” only we didn’t have eyes to see it!  Instead we’re staring down in the deep well of the bag  and we become consumed with our own self-focused thoughts instead of what God could do in that darkness. 

If something seems to be a drudgery, a source of sighing and heaviness, or not what you wanted, take that need to the Giver of that blessing.  Ask Him to allow you to see with new eyes the joy of this gift, and what He can do in the midst of this time. A right perspective on the “hard things” in life can help us see that God is not against us, as a matter of fact, He just might be up to something really, really good!

When you have eyes of faith to look for the treasure, you’ll have peace while you wait.  You’ll have hope in your heart.  You’ll realize that that “thing,” whatever it is, truly is a TREASURE in your sack!

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God's character · Responding to trials

Treasure In Your Sacks

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Treasures.jpg

Imagine that you have just gone to the grocery cart and filled your buggy with all the things you’ll need for the next month.  The cart is overflowing, and now your pocket book is empty!

After getting home, you begin the process of putting away all your groceries. In the bottom of the last bag you unload, you gasp because of what you see in the bottom of the bag.  There in the dark corner of the sack is the exact amount of money you thought you had paid for all this food!

How would you respond?  Would you:

  • Rejoice, skip and leap for joy?
  • Moan and wail, being sure you were headed to jail?

This scenario is pretty much what happened to Joseph’s brothers after they came to Egypt to get food during the famine.  Joseph recognized them, but they didn’t recognize Joseph.  He sent them back home to get their younger brother, Benjamin, but before they left for their journey, Joseph loaded them down with food, and then had their money put back into their sacks.

When they got home and “unloaded the groceries,” they found their money and feared for their lives!  They were sure Joseph would punish them severely, thinking they hadn’t paid for this load of food. They cried out, ”

What is this that God hath done unto us?

It was a curse to them.  It felt like God’s hand was against them, when all along, it was the Lord’s kindness, revealed through their brother, Joseph.

Have you ever felt that way when something difficult happened?  Our first response is to point a finger at heaven and say, “God!  Why did you do this to me?!”  We don’t recognize that this might be God doing something for us, rather than against us.

When the food was gone and the brothers returned back to Egypt, with their little brother in tow, one of the first things they told Joseph’s servants upon their arrival was about the “cursed money.”  But listen to the servant’s response:

Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks:

The very thing that was supposed to be a BLESSING to them, they looked at as a curse.  But all along, the Lord was going before them to provide for their needs.

 

Friends, let’s lift our heads out of the darkness and up towards God to see the plan for the “treasure that He has tucked into our sacks.”  See it with eyes of faith.  He has gifted you and me in ways we could never have planned.

Instead of fretting and fuming over what seems like a difficulty, rejoice!  There’s a treasure in our sack! If you don’t see the treasure today, keep looking; God will reveal it in time.

What treasure have you turned into a curse?  I pray this helps you get a biblical perspective!

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P.S. Tomorrow we’re going to take this principle and apply it in a very practical way to our everyday lives.  Hope you’ll come back and read!

baking · Cooking · Cooking for Two

Tips For Cooking For One Or Two

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tortillas a

Recently a reader wrote and asked a good question regarding making meals.  She wrote:

I was wondering how you manage nutrition, food, leftovers, etc. as an empty nester. Do you reduce the recipes to make less, do you eat a small portion of the finished item and freeze leftovers for another meal, do you split the meal and pass one on to another or is a combination of things the solution?

When my husband and I were first married, I had been single and living on my own for a couple of years, so I easily cooked for just the two of us. As our family grew, I increased the meals to feed four on a regular basis.  But as the girls got married and we became empty nester’s, I found out quickly that something had to change.  We would either have to learn to love eating leftovers for more than one day, or I would need to adjust my cooking methods.

Here’s how I have learned to manage our meals for two without eating leftovers for an eternity!

  1. Cut the recipe in half.  This is an obvious one, right?  But sometimes we get stumped with ingredients like,
    1. “1 can of mushroom soup.” I simply put in half a can, then put the other half into a freezer bag, label it, and pop it into the freezer!
    2. “1 egg” – go ahead and use one egg.
  2. Make a whole recipe and freeze portions and put them into the freezer, again, with good labels.  You might think you’ll remember what it is, but when it gets into a frozen state, it’s really hard to tell meatloaf from goulash!  So many things freeze well – just take a look on the freezer aisle at your store the next time for some ideas of what you could store in there! This is truly cooking once and eating two or three times from that little effort!  This is one of my favorite ways to prep ahead for busy days!
  3. Make a whole recipe and share the other half with someone who needs a meal – a shut-in, new mother or a family with sickness.
  4. Make meats where you can use portion control – 2 chicken breasts,  1turkey kielbasa or 2 pieces of fresh salmon.  Then I just add fresh vegetables and salads.  This doesn’t’ have to be boring.  Don’t just cook the meat the same way.  You could make one-pan dishes with cut up pieces of chicken, with fresh veggies roasted in the oven.  Make a baked potato with chicken sautéed in herbs and olive oil.  The possibilities are endless.
  5. Make individual servings – pot pies, pizzas, or meatloaves, etc.
  6. Make soup and freeze it in muffin pans as I described here.
  7. Bake small cakes and use only one layer.

There’s also a great web site on Taste of Home for recipes for Cooking for two.  This site has cakes and muffins as well as the standard fare for main dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I enjoy checking here if I want a special recipe without having too much remaining when the meal is over. Too much of a good thing doesn’t end up tasting like a good thing!

banana-cake

As far as nutrition is concerned,

  • I rarely ever fry anything.
  • We eat low-fat meals, with the exception of special meals or times guests are here!
  • Sweets are limited.  I love to bake, but I send most of it away to others so we won’t be tempted by it.  Then on those occasions we do have it, it’s really special!! (I see chocolate in my future come Valentine’s Day!)

But you know what?  We eat really good food every single day.  Fresh fruit.  Fresh veggies.  Homemade breads – I’ve found some great lighter versions like these biscuits.

If you cook for just one or two, what are your tips?  How do you maintain a healthy diet?

If you have questions about meal planning, cooking or baking, feel free to email me (address is in the contact info) or leave a comment here.  I’ll do my best to answer it!

With love from my country kitchen,

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communication · Marriage

Family Friday – How To Keep Your Marriage Plugged-In

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Plug in a

It happens often – a guest walks into our house and then says,

“Your house always smells so good!”

It always makes me happy to hear that because I want my house to smell good!  There are some routines I do to help accomplish this, but I think the thing that contributes most to the pleasant aroma is that I have these Yankee Plug-in’s all over the house.

Plug in

I love them!  Some have lights and are a little fancier than others that have just the fragrance refill behind a decorative plug, but they all smell really good!

I have a sweet friend who works for Yankee Candle Company who keeps me stocked up in my favorite scents. She also keeps me from using fragrances that won’t mix well together.  Combining Vanilla with a Lilac might not be the best! The candle company calls this, Fragrance layering.  It’s adding just the right combinations to create a pleasant aroma.  I am blessed to have a friend who does the “mixing” perfectly!  I keep a check on the fragrance bottles so I know when the aroma is getting ready to disappear.  I want that fragrance to continue!

Last week when another guest mentioned how good our house smelled, the Lord brought to my mind that a happy marriage also has a wonderful aroma!  It’s noticeable to others, and it happens in the same way that my house smells good – we must stay plugged-in!  Oh, not to the wall outlet, but plugged-into one another, which just means, closely connected; in touch with what is going on; informed; involved.  Easier said than done with today’s “crazy-busy” schedules, right?  It may seem difficult, but let me give you a few ways that you and your spouse can stay plugged in!

  1. At the beginning of the day, share with your spouse what your days holds and ask about his day.
    1. Are there burdens on your heart that he could pray for while you’re apart?
    2. Where will you be going?
    3. How long will you be gone?
    4. With whom will you spend your day (or appointment?)
    5. Is there a decision that needs to be discussed before you leave – perhaps about finances or what an upcoming event?
    6. Never part without saying, “I love you” and giving a kiss.
  3. During the day, let him know if anything changes in your plans.  Call or text to keep him informed.
    1. Will you be late?
    2. Are you going somewhere else?
    3. Did something unexpected come up?
    4. Don’t just text about obligatory things!  You can flirt with him in your text – he’s your husband!
      One day last week when I was in the store I saw a Valentine that was perfect for him, but I already had one to give him.  I took a picture of the front of it and sent it via a text!
  5. At the end of the day, ask questions about his day – the demands he had on him, the appointment, the problem, the blessings that occurred. Be ready to share your day, if he asks.  If he doesn’t, realize that it’s all about timing.  Be patient.
  6. Routinely, add other means of care and communication. You might call this the fragrance “layering.”  It’s when you add more than one action or response to demonstrate your interest in his  life.
    1. Drop a card in the mail and send it to his work, if possible.  If not, leave it for him – in his dresser, closet, Bible, or by his coffee cup.  Let him know in the card that you care deeply about the things that touch his life.
    2. Keep your calendars in sync.  Whether you do it electronically or on a paper calendar, have a place where both of you know what is coming up in the future.  for example, vacation schedules, work trips, medical appointments, etc.
    3. Communicate all financial decisions.  You are a team.  Never make a purchase and hide it until later.  Be up-front and transparent.
    4. Praying together daily helps to share what’s really on your hearts.  If he doesn’t initiate it, sweetly ask if you could pray together.  If he says, no, just pray the Lord will move in his heart in the days ahead.  For the time being, regularly ask how you might pray for him.
    5. Be affectionate and loving.
    6. Look him in the eyes when he’s speaking.
    7. Touch him – hold hands, rub his back, put your arm through his when you’re walking. Touch communicates!
    8. Share with him the things you are learning in God’s Word and how it is changing you.
    9. When you are able to accompany your husband on an outing, an extra activity he has to do, or a fun venture he’s excited about, like a ballgame or hike (did I just say that?!) go!

I’m pretty sure we all want our marriages to “smell wonderful” because we’re plugged-in to our spouse!  Maybe today is a good day to check the bottle to see if you need to add a refill!

In what way do you purposefully stay plugged-in to your spouse?

My husband and I are headed to The Wilds today where he will be the speaker for the Sweetheart Overnight Retreat.  Pray for us, would you?  Thank you in advance!

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