A look in the mirror

How often do you see your reflection? It seems we are being constantly bombarded with seeing our reflection. We have all sorts of items that reflect our image, including our cell phone! How often do we check and adjust when we see our reflection? We desire to look our best at all times, but what about our heart? What reflects our hearts? How often do you allow yourself to look at that reflection of your heart?

Do we focus more on checking and adjusting the outward that we neglect the inward? The mirror used to reflect the true image of our heart is the Bible, God's inspired Word. If we never open His Word, we never see the true nature of our heart. The Bible states in Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart deceitful and extremely wicked, who can know it? Only God can change the heart.

You wouldn't pass by your reflection, see an issue to fix, and just ignore it; so why would you ignore the condition of your heart when you see its wickedness and know it needs to be fixed? We all have our excuses, and we all use them over and over. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, "how much do my excuses for not changing my heart's condition hurt a God who died for me?" Consider this concept: You are a mess, clothes wrinkled and disheveled, hair a mess, teeth not brushed, and shoes untied. You go to leave your home that morning and your family stops you and informs you have things to fix. Instead of acknowledging them, you grunt, shrug your shoulders, grab your coffee, and drive to work. As you enter your workplace whispers filter throughout the offices and shortly a co-worker approaches you and informs you of things you need to fix. Instead of doing something about it, you glare at him, mumble something under your breath, and grab another cup of coffee as you head to your meeting. Pretty soon, clients and supervisors are confronting you about your appearance and the necessity for you to address those issues. With each confrontation your patience decreases and your frustration increases. Finally the day ends and you head to the restaurant to meet your loved one. As you look forward to a relaxing evening, you meet your breaking point when your loved one confronts you about your appearance and the items that need to be fixed. Outraged, you explode with the statement, "What do you mean!? I look fine! There is nothing wrong with me!"

Isn't that so often the case with our hearts? We have neglected the upkeep of our hearts so much that we have become blinded to our own wickedness that we don't even notice the filth and mess. Although we are blinded, others are not. We can try to hide the condition of our heart but the outward is simply a mirror of the inside. Equate it to this example. Our body is like vessel, constantly being filled with something-either the fruits of the Spirit or the vanity of a selfish life. Just as a vessel has its level before reaching an overflow point, so do we. When the pressures of life begin to come and the trials of life rock us back and forth, our vessel will spill. What's spilling out? Are others seeing that mess of a self-filled life or the love and kindness of a Spirit-filled life?

We may not even realize what is spilling out because we are too overwhelmed with the circumstances that are surrounding us, but I guarantee you that people see what is spilling out. Some may not be so bold to confront you but the ones who truly love you will. If you are spilling out fruits of the Spirit, people will share with you how much you are encouraging them and will thank you for being such an encouragement. Do you stand there baffled when that occurs? Does that even happen to you? Or are you getting bombarded with confrontations and you feel as though you might explode?

 Have you checked the mirror lately?

From the kitchen

I like to spice up the way I cook and prepare beans. Below are some of my recipes that I have discovered. I hope you enjoy trying these out!

Garbanzo Bean Flour Pizza Crust

Ingredients fill a 10 x 16 pan. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line pan with parchment paper

Ingredients:
2.5 cups of garbanzo bean/chick pea flour
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper, garlic powder, basil, parsley, oregano (I use 1/2 tsp. each to add a kick to my crust)
generous amounts of black pepper

Stir in ingredients until smooth. Batter will be extremely runny. Let stand for 30 mins.

Pour batter in the lined pan, will still be runny after the 30 mins

Bake for 15-20 mins until crust is cracked

Add selected toppings and bake an additional 15-20 mins

Red and Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup diced radishes (approximately 10)

1 diced medium tomato

1/2 c diced celery

1/2 diced sweet onion

1/2 cup Hendrickson's Original Sweet Vinegar and Olive Oil dressing (can substitute Italian dressing)

Black Bean Soup

Servings - 4 medium bowls 

Ingredients:

3 15 oz. black beans, rinsed and drained

3 8 oz. mild Rotel tomatoes - do not drain 

1/2 diced sweet onion

Stir in ingredients into a crockpot and let simmer for 4-6 hours on low

Ingredients for salsa topping:

1 small lime, squeezed

1 large diced tomato

1/4 cup diced cilantro 

Cut up ingredients and place in separate bowl, squeeze lime juice and stir