Welcome to April! We were blessed to participate in Rice & Beans month again this year and equally blessed to get to enjoy the delights of food variety.
Rice & Beans Month is a choice we make to limit our diet for a bigger purpose. It's a form of fasting. And fasting is a tricky thing. In the Bible there are so many different kinds of fasts- group, individual, vocal, silent, planned, spontaneous. And yet all are done for a purpose beyond the tangible.
Rice & Beans Month is a planed, group fast which many choose to be vocal about as we invite people in and encourage one another on the journey. Our family discusses, we blog, we joined a Facebook community, we email and it's usually a huge blessing across the board. But this year was a little different for me. It got hard and I wasn't very happy about any of it. Actually, I got downright mad. One of the many times Jesus taught on fasting, he said not to look somber like the hypocrites (Matthew 6:16). I felt deeply somber and I was certain that it couldn't help but show through, so I shut my mouth and prayed for the grace to endure without poisoning anyone with my sour attitude.
And life is just like that sometimes, isn't it? We keep on because it's a good thing even when we stop feeling like it's a good thing. I thank God for daily grace. Our family has grown through another Rice & Beans Month and I'm deeply thankful for the journey, albeit painfully difficult and exposing at times. We were able to save $471 to send to our friends in East Africa... to people we call friends. This blesses us deeply.
Rice & Beans Month is a choice we make to limit our diet for a bigger purpose. It's a form of fasting. And fasting is a tricky thing. In the Bible there are so many different kinds of fasts- group, individual, vocal, silent, planned, spontaneous. And yet all are done for a purpose beyond the tangible.
Rice & Beans Month is a planed, group fast which many choose to be vocal about as we invite people in and encourage one another on the journey. Our family discusses, we blog, we joined a Facebook community, we email and it's usually a huge blessing across the board. But this year was a little different for me. It got hard and I wasn't very happy about any of it. Actually, I got downright mad. One of the many times Jesus taught on fasting, he said not to look somber like the hypocrites (Matthew 6:16). I felt deeply somber and I was certain that it couldn't help but show through, so I shut my mouth and prayed for the grace to endure without poisoning anyone with my sour attitude.
And life is just like that sometimes, isn't it? We keep on because it's a good thing even when we stop feeling like it's a good thing. I thank God for daily grace. Our family has grown through another Rice & Beans Month and I'm deeply thankful for the journey, albeit painfully difficult and exposing at times. We were able to save $471 to send to our friends in East Africa... to people we call friends. This blesses us deeply.
And, believe it or not, we're still enjoying weekly bean & rice meals. We even received a package of fancy beans from a beloved friend. Who knew beans could be this yummy?
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