Proverbs 15:17
A simple meal with love is better than a feast where there is hatred.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Early one afternoon in August 2009, my Mam-ma Polly (who was then 97) phoned me and said she was preparing dinner for my mom and her husband, Lee - did we want to come? I told her I would check with my [my husband] Greg, and she said, "I don't know what you and your momma will eat (Mom is diabetic - I have a corn allergy). I'm fixin' green beans, corn, sweet potatoes and a lemon pie." I asked her if I could bring some chicken, and she said, "Well your momma is bringing ribs. I told her I would just go out and get some ribs, and she said she already had ribs cooked."
I called Mam-ma back to tell her we would come for dinner and that I would bring some roasted chicken breasts. I also told her that I had checked with my mother, and she said she would take Mam-ma some potatoes to cook (Mam-ma's comment to me earlier was... "I only have 2 Irish potatoes.") We hung up, and Mam-ma called back ... "You can't eat cornbread, can you?" "No, but that is okay," I assured her, and she said, "Well, now... I'm gonna make a pan of rolls, too." For those of you who make homemade rolls, you know what a process this is! Granted, the more you do it, the faster you become, and Mam-ma did it for probably 90 years. But it's the stirring of that stiff dough that gives us trouble... and for someone nearly 97 with limited arm strength, it was a definite challenge - or should have been. However, her results were light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth delicious... and she sent the leftovers home with us! Yippee!!!
Call #4 was to ask if my sister and her husband were babysitting their grandson Timothy. “I wondered if they would want to come to supper, too." I told her to call and ask them, but... "do you have enough food?" She said, "Well... I don't know... but if we don't, at least we'll all be together." When we arrived, not only were my sister and her husband there, but my niece Jasmine and her baby Timothy were there, too... and we had more than enough to eat!
Such a seemingly simple thing as a family supper was such a day-long chore for the woman who prepared it. Mother and I cleaned the kitchen as Mam-ma tottered in and around us, finding containers for a "dab" of this and a "dab" of that to save as leftovers. I showed her the leftover roasted chicken breasts and broth I had brought, and I suggested she combine all of the vegetables with the meat and create a stew... a dish she seemed to enjoy because she could chew everything in it. Mam-ma put all of the leftovers into the refrigerator individually… I never knew if she made a stew or not.
I’ve thought about my grandmother’s comment a lot. Most of my life, she threw “a little dab of this and a little dab of that” together and created a virtual feast for a family of 7-10 at any given meal. She was the modern-day example of the “fish and five loaves”! But the food was completely secondary to the company. And that was the case at this meal. We were together as a family around her table… and as it turns out – this was the last time.
I think about other meals I’ve eaten in nice restaurants… thick, juicy steaks… seafood feasts… gourmet dishes prepared by highly regarded chefs… and all pale in comparison to the meals around my grandmother’s table. None of these “fancy feasts” could hold a candle to a birthday dinner lovingly prepared by my mom, as was the case just a month ago. There isn’t a steak dinner on the planet that could be as good as those my father-in-law used to grill for us and my husband’s brothers and their spouses. And when you get to the heart of the matter, it has nothing to do with food… it’s about the company and the sense of comfort, camaraderie, and peace.
In the same manner, this devotional has little or nothing to do with food. The point is that we look for peace and joy in the wrong places. We seek the things of this world… empty pleasures…when what we really need is to spend some time at the feet of Jesus… to come to His table and find the nurture we crave. We look for the world’s best steak, when the “meat” we really need is found in God’s Holy word. A true relationship with Jesus and His Holy Spirit is better than the richest piece of cheesecake or your favorite carton of Hagen Daz! If you want real peace … grace, mercy, forgiveness…true comfort and confidence that God is handling your worries and cares… come to Jesus’ table for “a little dab of this or that”. Quit trying to have what you think is “the finer things” of life… you’ve already got them in spades!
Haven’t you ever had a simple picnic with a friend that tasted like the best meal ever? This is what Jesus offers us today. His love is pure, unadulterated, and doesn’t come with a lot of “garnishes”… but you will never find anything that satisfies quite like it. And you will never find peace that compares. What are you waiting for? Jesus’ table has room for all of us… and blessings enough for leftovers! Will you accept His invitation and “come to supper?”
©2013 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label satisfaction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label satisfaction. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for May 31, 2012
Philippians 4:10-14
I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don't mean that your help didn't mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
If you had to describe your perfect day, what would it include? Would you need to go somewhere, be with a lot of friends and/or family, or dine in fancy restaurants? Would you find yourself living someone else’s life… maybe sitting poolside in a mansion on the beach, dripping in expensive clothing and jewelry, with sports cars and high-dollar rides in the garage and a limo at your beck and call? Would you hang out with A-list celebrities and attend all of the high-profile functions? Would your body be tanned and toned… your muscles “ripped” and your skin wrinkle-free? Would you have a head of perfectly coiffed, thick, beautiful hair? Would you be a mega-millionaire who never had to work another day in his/her life? Would you be 100% healthy and fit?
Now think about where you are today… what God has presented you with for THIS day. How does it stack up to your “perfect” day? What is the difference? Do you find that the most glaring contrast is your attitude? I have a little daily calendar on my desk with a quip or quote for each day. Today’s words were actually a joke about a little girl who attended her first wedding and asked her mom why the bride wore white? The mom told her that “White is the color of happiness, and this is the happiest day of her life.” The child then asked, “So why is the groom wearing black?” See… it’s all a matter of attitude!
What is your mindset today? Are you quite content whatever your circumstances? Do you find the “perfection” in small things each day… recognizing that God has blessed you and made you – and with Him, you can make it through anything? Do you appreciate your blessings… family, friends, health, food, clothing, shelter, and yes – material belongings? Are you truly satisfied with your life? If the answer is “No,” the problem is probably a lack of confidence in your relationship with God, rather than personal need.
Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to settle your heart and mind… to give you a sense of contentment in Him that pervades any and all physical circumstances. Learn to live in the serenity of knowing Whose you are… and appreciating His daily dose of grace, mercy, love and blessings. Be well and happy every day, because you are His. Everything else is just the icing on the cake!
©2012 Debbie Robus
I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don't mean that your help didn't mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
If you had to describe your perfect day, what would it include? Would you need to go somewhere, be with a lot of friends and/or family, or dine in fancy restaurants? Would you find yourself living someone else’s life… maybe sitting poolside in a mansion on the beach, dripping in expensive clothing and jewelry, with sports cars and high-dollar rides in the garage and a limo at your beck and call? Would you hang out with A-list celebrities and attend all of the high-profile functions? Would your body be tanned and toned… your muscles “ripped” and your skin wrinkle-free? Would you have a head of perfectly coiffed, thick, beautiful hair? Would you be a mega-millionaire who never had to work another day in his/her life? Would you be 100% healthy and fit?
Now think about where you are today… what God has presented you with for THIS day. How does it stack up to your “perfect” day? What is the difference? Do you find that the most glaring contrast is your attitude? I have a little daily calendar on my desk with a quip or quote for each day. Today’s words were actually a joke about a little girl who attended her first wedding and asked her mom why the bride wore white? The mom told her that “White is the color of happiness, and this is the happiest day of her life.” The child then asked, “So why is the groom wearing black?” See… it’s all a matter of attitude!
What is your mindset today? Are you quite content whatever your circumstances? Do you find the “perfection” in small things each day… recognizing that God has blessed you and made you – and with Him, you can make it through anything? Do you appreciate your blessings… family, friends, health, food, clothing, shelter, and yes – material belongings? Are you truly satisfied with your life? If the answer is “No,” the problem is probably a lack of confidence in your relationship with God, rather than personal need.
Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to settle your heart and mind… to give you a sense of contentment in Him that pervades any and all physical circumstances. Learn to live in the serenity of knowing Whose you are… and appreciating His daily dose of grace, mercy, love and blessings. Be well and happy every day, because you are His. Everything else is just the icing on the cake!
©2012 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for July 29, 2010
1 Peter 1:18
You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don't last forever.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was in graduate school, I took a course in Educational Psychology, where we studied a book called Reality Therapy, written by psychologist William Glasser. The primary concept of Reality Therapy is that people have five basic psychological needs: power, love and belonging, freedom, fun, and survival. Whether we realize it or not, according to Glasser, pretty much everything we do is based on meeting these needs.
Glasser has quite a bit of evidence to prove that we do a lot of what we do to meet our needs based on our past. We repeat past history because that is what we know and feel comfortable with, and/or we blame our past for things not seeming to work out for us now. Either way, Glasser’s Reality Therapy is designed to help people move forward and take responsibility for their needs and leave the past behind.
This psychological approach helped me tremendously as a teacher, because so often, we want to say, “Oh, he/she is a product of his/her environment.” And this becomes the crutch for that person. The Bible refers to this in another way … “generational curse.” Just because someone’s parents or grandparents were alcoholics, abusive, drug addicts, lazy, overweight, poor, depressed, psychotic … you fill in the blanks … doesn’t mean the children have to be. Just because the home environment is nothing short of horrific doesn’t mean the child has a free ride to behave wildly in the classroom, at church, or anywhere else. There comes a time when everyone has to stand up and take responsibility for his/her own actions and stop playing “the blame game.”
In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been focusing for several days on how Jesus rescued us from sin and sacrificed His own life and blood to do so. Here in 1 Peter 1:18, we specifically see that JESUS represents the way out of generational curses and blaming the past. Jesus rescued us … not by posting a bond at the jail … not by getting us into a rehab … not by removing us from an undesirable situation and placing us somewhere else … not by buying us a car, clothes, food, or whatever else we wanted or needed. He did not use gold or silver or any other temporary means. Jesus bought and paid for us with His blood on the cross! Jesus Christ is truly Reality Therapy … the kind that works forever and ever and throughout Eternity!
We need to recognize the incredible importance of what Jesus did for us. We need to humble ourselves before Him and pour out our hearts in thanksgiving for such an incredible gift. Because of Jesus, the “needs” for power, love and belonging, freedom, fun, and survival are all well within our grasp. Because of His sacrifice, all things are possible. We are no longer bound by our past … we are headed for a glorious future in Him.
Have you received the true Reality Therapy? Have you been rescued by the blood of Jesus? Are you ready to have all of your needs met by the One who can really do just that? The past is useless. Real knowledge and peace comes from what Jesus offers. Choose Him today, and get busy truly living for all Eternity!
©2010 Debbie Robus
You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don't last forever.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was in graduate school, I took a course in Educational Psychology, where we studied a book called Reality Therapy, written by psychologist William Glasser. The primary concept of Reality Therapy is that people have five basic psychological needs: power, love and belonging, freedom, fun, and survival. Whether we realize it or not, according to Glasser, pretty much everything we do is based on meeting these needs.
Glasser has quite a bit of evidence to prove that we do a lot of what we do to meet our needs based on our past. We repeat past history because that is what we know and feel comfortable with, and/or we blame our past for things not seeming to work out for us now. Either way, Glasser’s Reality Therapy is designed to help people move forward and take responsibility for their needs and leave the past behind.
This psychological approach helped me tremendously as a teacher, because so often, we want to say, “Oh, he/she is a product of his/her environment.” And this becomes the crutch for that person. The Bible refers to this in another way … “generational curse.” Just because someone’s parents or grandparents were alcoholics, abusive, drug addicts, lazy, overweight, poor, depressed, psychotic … you fill in the blanks … doesn’t mean the children have to be. Just because the home environment is nothing short of horrific doesn’t mean the child has a free ride to behave wildly in the classroom, at church, or anywhere else. There comes a time when everyone has to stand up and take responsibility for his/her own actions and stop playing “the blame game.”
In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been focusing for several days on how Jesus rescued us from sin and sacrificed His own life and blood to do so. Here in 1 Peter 1:18, we specifically see that JESUS represents the way out of generational curses and blaming the past. Jesus rescued us … not by posting a bond at the jail … not by getting us into a rehab … not by removing us from an undesirable situation and placing us somewhere else … not by buying us a car, clothes, food, or whatever else we wanted or needed. He did not use gold or silver or any other temporary means. Jesus bought and paid for us with His blood on the cross! Jesus Christ is truly Reality Therapy … the kind that works forever and ever and throughout Eternity!
We need to recognize the incredible importance of what Jesus did for us. We need to humble ourselves before Him and pour out our hearts in thanksgiving for such an incredible gift. Because of Jesus, the “needs” for power, love and belonging, freedom, fun, and survival are all well within our grasp. Because of His sacrifice, all things are possible. We are no longer bound by our past … we are headed for a glorious future in Him.
Have you received the true Reality Therapy? Have you been rescued by the blood of Jesus? Are you ready to have all of your needs met by the One who can really do just that? The past is useless. Real knowledge and peace comes from what Jesus offers. Choose Him today, and get busy truly living for all Eternity!
©2010 Debbie Robus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)