Reminder of God’s Goodness—Free Recipes (Short Bursts of Encouragement)

Gold Brush Stroke

Being a work-from-home mom has definite advantages. But living and working within the same four walls can become suffocating at times.

If I’m not careful my senses can become conditioned to the same sights, sounds, and smells. My days can become stale. I can lose sight of the blessings in my life.

Perhaps you’ve felt the same way.

Life becomes less a joy and more a daily drudgery. 

Yet our lives are full of blessings. In Matthew, Jesus spoke about the gifts God gives. The good things. 

“How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (7:11) 

Wild grapes_TasteandSee4

God’s Goodness

Good things! Who doesn’t love those? 

Sometimes, though, we fail to notice the evidence of God’s goodness in our lives. We miss the abundant daily blessings, often because we expect them to look different. 

We expect wealth, but are instead blessed with a country where we can freely worship. 

We expect health, but are instead gifted with abundant time to pray for ourselves and others. 

We expect children, but are instead given close friends.

Right now you might not be able to see the abundance in your life, but you can trust it’s there, for God is faithful.

Right now you might not be able to see the abundance in your life, but you can trust it's there for God is faithful. Share on X

Gaining Perspective

To gain a fresh perspective on God’s goodness, I like to cultivate a garden and gather edible fruits, leaves, and nuts from the wild. I’ve found these practices help me focus on the less obvious gifts in my life. 

I use those natural wild edibles to produce delectable delights and then gift them, blessing others and myself.

If you’d like to give this a try, I’ve posted two of my favorite downloadable/printable recipes for your use. Just click on the recipe to make it yours. 

black_raspberries smaller

Black Raspberry Syrup Recipe-

acorn pancakes_goodnessoftheLord

Acorn pancakes recipes-

God’s goodness abounds. May you never doubt the abundant blessings promised for you. 

God's goodness abounds. May you never doubt the abundant blessings promised for you. Share on X

“Taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8

Reflection: What practices do you have to remind yourself of the Lord’s goodness and the abundant blessings in your life? 

This is the second post in my new Wednesday series, Short Bursts of Encouragement. I envision each series post featuring a Scripture and photo you can download with a few words of encouragement from me, perhaps even a prayer, a recipe, a giveaway–anything to give your week a boost. I’d love to hear if this Short Bursts of Encouragement Series is … well … encouraging to you, and please pass on any topic ideas you may have.

Today I’m joining Holley Gerth for her Coffee for Your Heart Wednesday link-up and Rachel Wojnarowski for Whimsical Wednesdays. Click on the images to read more linked-up posts. So much wonderful encouragement!
Holley Gerth Button  new whimsical wed

By His Grace,

Julie

8 Comments

  1. Elizabeth Stewart on September 24, 2014 at 11:58 pm

    Thank you for the encouragement and recipes. So glad I popped in from Holley’s!

    • Julie Sunne on September 25, 2014 at 11:53 am

      Thanks for stopping in, Elizabeth! Enjoy the gift of today.

  2. Dawn on September 25, 2014 at 10:14 am

    The recipes look delicious! We have oodles of black raspberries here which my children and I love to gather. It does give us time to soak in the blessing of reflection and perspective.
    Blessings,
    Dawn

    • Julie Sunne on September 25, 2014 at 11:55 am

      It’s also a wonderful relationship-building time for your family, Dawn.

      What do you do with your black raspberries? I love to use wild plums and wild grapes as well. They all make such yummy syrups and jellies. The acorn pancakes are pleasantly nutty & sweet (depending on how much honey you add). Enjoy!

  3. Lisa Appelo @True and Faithful on January 8, 2016 at 8:46 pm

    Wow, Julie, I’m so intrigued you make acorn flour! I have 2 boys that absolutely love gathering wild edible plants. I know nothing about it, but it is super interesting to listen to them and watch them. I do know about blackberries. We’ve found some mother lode local patches and love picking them!

    • Julie Sunne on January 9, 2016 at 4:33 pm

      Wish we lived closer, Lisa. I’d love to share our interest in wild edibles with you and your boys. Lest you think I’m really a cook-from-scratch kind of gal, I only make acorn flour for a wild edible class I teach to 5th graders.

  4. Kim S on January 8, 2016 at 9:02 pm

    Love this new series, Julie! Indeed He is good!

    • Julie Sunne on January 9, 2016 at 4:31 pm

      Thanks, Kim! I began the series last year, but may resurrect it. My trouble is writing about God’s goodness with brevity. 🙂

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Julie Sunne

Hello, I'm Julie, an imperfect wife and mother of four. Life in this broken world is not always easy. Yet, joy can be found in each day through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I find it's easy for our day's blessings to get lost in its happenings. But God's "mercies never end" (Lamentations 3:22) and His "grace is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

May the posts and pages on this site offer you a measure of peace and encouragement.

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