SOME THINGS GET REJECTED!

My whole world of cooking has changed recently.  Out of necessity, I have been experimenting with Low-Carb recipes and it has been really challenging finding ones that we like. When you are used to cooking "Southern Style" frying everything, baking pies, and bread, it becomes a life changer!  I have been stock piling some good recipes but also rejecting others.  Some because of the taste, some because of the texture, and some because the items just don't translate well into the Low-Carb realm.

This got me to thinking about the word "rejection".  Just the sound of that word can bring shivers to us!  Have you ever been rejected for a job?  Rejected for a part in a play?  Rejected because you were not pretty enough, not skilled enough, or whatever?  Yeah, I can relate!  But as mom's and grandma's it can be hard when we see our children and grandchildren rejected by others because that's when our mama bear tendencies come out in us!

Christ knew all about rejection.  In fact in Isaiah 53:3 it says: "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."   I Peter 2:4 says that "Christ was the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--"

What are some ways that we see Christ handle rejection?

PRAY FOR THEM:  When Christ hung on the cross after being rejected he prays: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34, NIV)  What a great lesson to be teaching our kids and grandchildren to do when others reject them!

JUST MOVE ON:  Christ tells his disciples when he sent them out to preach his message "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town."  (Matthew 10:14, NIV)  Sometimes we have to tell our kids and grandkids to seek out other friends or just shake off (dismiss) the comments that others make helping them realize that we all say things we shouldn't have.

REALIZE THAT ONE DAY GOD WILL MAKE IT RIGHT:  "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.   Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.  For that is how their fathers treated the prophets." (Luke 6:22-23, NIV)  This should be our own philosophy when sharing the gospel.   To realize they are not rejecting us as the "messenger" they are rejecting "the message" and God will handle that.

DO GOOD TO THEM:  That flies in the face of all that is sensible doesn't it?  But Christ, himself, says: "But I tell you who hear me:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."  (Luke 6:27-28, NIV)  This is a very hard one for us to implement because our tendency is to want to hurt them as much as they hurt us!  Only with His help can we accomplish this!

These are just some thoughts I had this week about this whole business of rejection.  Hope it speaks to someone else as much as it did me.

I am including a recipe that I did not reject this week.  I call it "Tropical Get-Away" and is a combination of a couple of different recipes.  Anyway, it passed the husband test, so it is a keeper.

TROPICAL GET-AWAY DESSERT

Crust:  3/4 cup Almond Flour (I used Bob Mill's)

3 T cold butter

3 teaspoons Splenda

Cut ingredients together and pat into a 6 x 9" pan

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes until brown

Filling:

1 pkg. cream cheese

1 cup splenda

1 cup pureed fresh pineapple

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 tsp. vanilla

(I think a banana would also be good in this)

Mix and pour on cooled crust

Topping:

1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple

1 T. Splenda

Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 1 minute

spread on top and chill for at least 2 hours.

(When I make this again, I think I will toast the coconut in the oven first before microwaving just to make it more appealing)

Here's the finished product: