|
We should never go through the negative or unpleasant situations in our
life thinking there can never come any good from them. Every day that we
are alive we are guaranteed to learn something new and grow in wisdom and
understanding. A quote that many people adhere to simply says "live and
learn". We must look back at what we went through in the past and count
those situations as lessons learned to better our life and understanding
presently and in the future to come. The Bible declares in Proverbs 9:9-10
"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man
and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding." (2 Corinthians 4:15)
I hope you are both encouraged and challenged by this light hearted story
to allow yourself to learn and expand from what you don't already know.
MEAT AND LEAVES BOILED
There was only one thing I didn't like about Mom's corned beef and cabbage:
the cabbage. The corned beef part was great. I didn't even mind the fact
that it was cooked with the cabbage. I could deal with that, but the
cabbage part...no way!
Not that I had anything specifically against cabbage. Mom made a coleslaw
that was out of this world, and I liked raw cabbage as part of a salad. So
I was not intolerant of cabbage as a general rule, but in corned beef and
cabbage, the cabbage is cooked -- boiled, to be more precise. Evidently
there are parts of the world where boiling cabbage is thought to be a good
idea. But to me it was like... I don't know... boiling lettuce. And whoever
heard of eating boiled lettuce?
Oh, and in case you're wondering, spinach is different. It's the Popeye
Factor. We've seen spinach slide out of the can into Popeye's mouth so
many times we've pretty much forgotten that it begins as a crisp, leafy
vegetable, as opposed to the limp, slimy canned concoction it eventually
becomes.
Of course, Mom didn't buy any of that. "There's nothing wrong with cooked
cabbage," she said every St. Patrick's day, when she filled the house with
the pungent aroma of the traditional Irish dish. "In many parts of the
world it is considered a great treat, almost like ice cream."
I don't think Mom actually believed that any more than we did. But Dad
always ate every bite of corned beef and cabbage, even the cabbage part,
with such undeniable relish that I wondered if maybe I was missing out on
something. So every year, I tried it again, usually with some new twist
intended to trick my taste buds into thinking I was eating something other
than a boiled leaf.
One year I measured every forkful to make sure I had exactly twice as much
corned beef as cabbage. The problem with this technique was that I was out
of corned beef by the time the cabbage was only half gone. Another year I
tried drowning the cabbage in red wine vinegar, which only succeeded in
replacing one strong, unpleasant taste with another.
Year-by-year, I kept tweaking with different additives and combinations.
Some worked, most didn't. One time my big brother Bud had me convinced
that corned beef and cabbage was just a fancy version of hot dogs and
sauerkraut, and the whole dish would taste like a trip to the ball park if
I covered it with ketchup, mustard and relish.
Bud lied. Still, Mom made me eat all of it while Bud watched, and laughed.
The interesting thing is that, somehow through all those years of trial,
error and ketchup-covered tragedy, I seem to have developed a taste for
corned beef and cabbage. I don't know if my taster matured to the point
that I could finally appreciate the heady mix of textures and flavors, or
if it finally succumbed after being drowned in a sea of mustard and red
wine vinegar. For whatever reason, every year about this time I get a
hankering for meat and leaves...boiled.
Looking back, it seems there are a lot of things I didn't really appreciate
in my youth that I later grew to enjoy, even to savor: Going to church,
Frank Sinatra, sitting in a room with loved ones and just talking, hugging
and being hugged. As we grow, we learn, and as we learn, sometimes we
change. Even if it isn't always a treat, like ice cream.
By Joseph Walker
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Proverbs 1:7-9 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but
fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy
father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an
ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck."
Proverbs 3:13-16 "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that
getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the
merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more
precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be
compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left
hand riches and honour."
Psalm 145:14-19 "The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those
that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them
their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the
desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and
Holy in all His works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon Him,
to all that call upon Him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that
fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them."
Psalm 37:4-7 "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the
desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him;
and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness
as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait
patiently for Him..."
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today's Selected Poem: EVEN IF
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem108.htm
Today's Selected Testimony: TESTIMONY OF GOD'S LOVE
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony150.htm
In Christ's Service,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry |
