Well, I've been unsuccessful in comendearing three rotten bananas today. Renee had just thrown hers away when I called this morning. Then I went into the Proverbs 31 office and asked LeAnn- would you believe she had just thrown hers away yesterday as well! I asked if I could come over to her house and dig them out of the trashcan but they were mixed in with a broken dish. Bummer! I'm desperate but not that desperate.
I did get one from my friend and faithful assistant, Holly. So, I'm still hunting down 2 more. A month ago I had rotten bananas galore but in a hissy fit of unorganized and overstuffed freezer frustration, I tossed all my hopes of turning blackened bananas into the treasure they were always meant to be, right into the trashcan. Hummff.
Okay- here's the recipe for those of you lucky enough to be the proud owners of rotten bananas.
3 Ripe Bananas
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
3/4 cup chocolate chips... or broken up pieces of some kind of chocolate
That's all the ingredients. I don't have any instructions on how to smush and mix and all that. I just stirred things in the bowl in the order of how they are listed on the ingredients list. And let me tell you it is YUMMY!
Oh, but wait, you do have to bake it at 325 degrees for one hour. And, I divided the batter into two Pam Sprayed pans---(yes, my mom has told me that stuff is bad too- but at this busy stage of life I just pray before I use red meat and Pam spray and all the other toxic things I feed my family everyday-sigh). Hey, at least this yummy treat meets all four food groups: fruits, protein (egg), grains (flour), and chocolate! You will love this and feel so healthy kind-of.
Now for the spiritual insight about this banana bread baking thing.
I am on a journey with learning how to put off my old self- that is my natural fleshly way of doing things. In my flesh I am all kinds of unpleasant things. I am lazy. I am full of excuses. I am all about me- not about making things like banana bread for others to enjoy. I am all about taking the easy out.
But God tells me in Ephesians 4:22-24, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
So, it is a choice I make.
Instead of being lazy, I grab hold of God's strength in me and set my mind to accomplishing something. Then the accomplishment, no matter how small, breaks the curse of laziness.
Instead of being full of excuses, I grab hold of God's motivation in me and take the first step past my excuses. Then that step becomes my success which spurs me onward to bigger successes.
Instead of being all about me, I grab hold of God's character being birthed in me and see real joy comes in giving to others not in keeping to myself.
Instead of taking the easy way out, I grab hold of God's tenacity being developed in me and see that the harder way is the better way for my fleshly tendencies to be diminshed.
My fleshly tendencies are a lot like those rotten bananas. Worthless yet worthy all at the same time. For what appears to be bad, can become quite good with the right recipe. Mix in a little flour and sugar with rotten bananas baked at 325 and you'll get something quite good. Mix in a little prayer and perspective with a rotten attitude baked at Ephesians 4:22-25 and maybe there's hope for me yet.
And so it goes. Life. Life lessons from rotten bananas. One fantastic journey.
Ps: If you want a more proper recipe for Banana Bread hop over to my friend Marybeth's blog. She is a homemaker extraordinare who posts all kinds of meal plans, recipes, and honest life observations.
I did get one from my friend and faithful assistant, Holly. So, I'm still hunting down 2 more. A month ago I had rotten bananas galore but in a hissy fit of unorganized and overstuffed freezer frustration, I tossed all my hopes of turning blackened bananas into the treasure they were always meant to be, right into the trashcan. Hummff.
Okay- here's the recipe for those of you lucky enough to be the proud owners of rotten bananas.
3 Ripe Bananas
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
3/4 cup chocolate chips... or broken up pieces of some kind of chocolate
That's all the ingredients. I don't have any instructions on how to smush and mix and all that. I just stirred things in the bowl in the order of how they are listed on the ingredients list. And let me tell you it is YUMMY!
Oh, but wait, you do have to bake it at 325 degrees for one hour. And, I divided the batter into two Pam Sprayed pans---(yes, my mom has told me that stuff is bad too- but at this busy stage of life I just pray before I use red meat and Pam spray and all the other toxic things I feed my family everyday-sigh). Hey, at least this yummy treat meets all four food groups: fruits, protein (egg), grains (flour), and chocolate! You will love this and feel so healthy kind-of.
Now for the spiritual insight about this banana bread baking thing.
I am on a journey with learning how to put off my old self- that is my natural fleshly way of doing things. In my flesh I am all kinds of unpleasant things. I am lazy. I am full of excuses. I am all about me- not about making things like banana bread for others to enjoy. I am all about taking the easy out.
But God tells me in Ephesians 4:22-24, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
So, it is a choice I make.
Instead of being lazy, I grab hold of God's strength in me and set my mind to accomplishing something. Then the accomplishment, no matter how small, breaks the curse of laziness.
Instead of being full of excuses, I grab hold of God's motivation in me and take the first step past my excuses. Then that step becomes my success which spurs me onward to bigger successes.
Instead of being all about me, I grab hold of God's character being birthed in me and see real joy comes in giving to others not in keeping to myself.
Instead of taking the easy way out, I grab hold of God's tenacity being developed in me and see that the harder way is the better way for my fleshly tendencies to be diminshed.
My fleshly tendencies are a lot like those rotten bananas. Worthless yet worthy all at the same time. For what appears to be bad, can become quite good with the right recipe. Mix in a little flour and sugar with rotten bananas baked at 325 and you'll get something quite good. Mix in a little prayer and perspective with a rotten attitude baked at Ephesians 4:22-25 and maybe there's hope for me yet.
And so it goes. Life. Life lessons from rotten bananas. One fantastic journey.
Ps: If you want a more proper recipe for Banana Bread hop over to my friend Marybeth's blog. She is a homemaker extraordinare who posts all kinds of meal plans, recipes, and honest life observations.
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