So, I haven’t been avoiding my blog; well, not entirely. Things have been hectic around our little place for the last month, culminating in my littlest breaking his leg last week. L Poor guy. But more than that, I haven’t been able to put any organization at all into my thoughts. Apparently when God works in me, he lets the process be His, and keeps me out of it. I’m sure that I’m better off for it!
A couple of weeks ago, a challenge was posed to me in a Bible study that I’m going thru with some other ladies at church. We were challenged to be very purposeful in our speaking by not lying for one week. You may think, ‘No big deal, I’m an honest person!’ I know I sure did. But about ½ way thru my week, I found little things sneaking up on me: exaggerations, most-truths, half-truths, suppositions, competition! Yikes! And after I noticed that I let one slip, I had my own little ‘white-lie’ parade going. It’s not that what I was saying was hurting anyone, or was blatantly, purposefully dishonest, but it was amazing to watch one slight exaggeration turn into a feeling that I needed to say something bigger or better or more impressive than someone else… hmmmm…. Lies, pride, what do you have in common?
I’m still trying to stick to this ‘no lies’ thing. But it’s hard. That week, we had an extra dog at our house, trying to breed our female. Answering the questions of a 5 year old, and appropriately, was challenging. To tell him the dogs were ‘just playing’ would have been a lie. While I settled for, ‘They’re just dogs, doing what dogs do,’ I’m still not certain that qualifies as a whole truth.
So where does this pre-installed lying come from? I know my 5 year old does it. I’m sure at some points my husband does it. I know I do it… my friends probably do, too. Yes, it’s easy to say, ‘it’s just sin nature,’ but I think that’s a little ominous and broad for me. Also, I think that for people who don’t understand the nature of sin that it’s a little…. charged (for lack of a better word). I see lying, at least my lies, rooted in pride. Stick with me here.
The first exaggeration (lie) I caught myself in was stating that I knew ALL the lyrics to a song. That’s a stretch. At one time I did. Had I looked at it, listened to it, or sang it recently before making the statement?? Nope. So would I have missed a few? Yep. So did I know ALL the lyrics? Nope. But why did I say it? Do people expect me to know them? Do I want people to perceive me a certain way? Do I believe that in knowing them I’m better/smarter/anything than someone else? Possibly. But I wasn’t thinking those thoughts. Looking back, I see it was pride. I wanted people to see something in/about me as better than it was. That’s pride. And it’s an ugly thing. (and I could go on and on there... but I'll save it for another afternoon.)
I also let that one lie slip into other little exaggerations. Telling someone something, but over glorifying certain details. (Yep, those are lies.) Eliminating points in the story that weren’t so flattering. (Yep, still lies.) And why? Pride. Disgusting. It’s a terrible thing when you have to question your own honesty; how honest are you being with yourself?
Leaving you with that thought, ask yourself the question: am I honest with me? And really look to see the answer. You may not like what you find, but dealing with it can make a big difference.
In the sprit of honesty, here is something yummy, made from REAL ingredients. And I know that for me, it’s way faster than its traditional counterpart. J
Rolled Lasagne
You need:
Lasagne pasta, 1 per serving (I usually use 16-20)
1lb each, ricotta, mozzarella, cottage cheese (or others if you like)
About 2 ½ cups marinara or not-overly-chunky tomato based sauce
Veggies….. I like to use chopped spinach and shredded zucchinis
Meat -if you really want it. Sweet Italian sausage or beef kielbasa would certainly be good! (And let’s not forget about bacon!)
Cook your pasta until just before it’s al dente. You want to be able to manipulate it, but don’t want it smushy.
Stir together your ricotta and cottage cheese, add about ½ the mozzarella. If you’re adding veggies, put them in the bowl too.
Cover the bottom of your pan with a thin layer of sauce. Yum.
One at a time, spread your cheese mix onto the noodle (add meat here) leaving a space about 1 ½ -2 inches at one end. Roll toward the cheese-less end and place in pan seamed side down. Repeat until your pan is full. (about 16 of them in a 9x13 pan)
Cover with remaining sauce and mozzarella.
Bake at about 350 until hot in the middle and cheese is melted.
Serve, garnishing with extra cheese, if you please!
**This is also great for easy freezer meals. You can let it cool, and then you already have equal sized portions prepared to wrap and freeze for later.
~ "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement." Matthew 12:36 ~
yum! Looks really good i am going to have to try this next month :D
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