Building Character & Blueberry Muffins . . .

 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5: 3-5

In case you missed it, yesterday was June 25th, a date reminding us that Christmas is but six months away. You may have been too busy overcoming the summer heatwave, or jumping in the waves at the beach, or singing to songs over the airwaves with the top down to think of ice cold snow, sledding and Christmas carols. In the midst of summer, Christmas seems far off, foreign and frozen, a blurry object too distant to see.

But it will come. Before you know it temperatures will cool, trees will change color, summer outfits will be changed for school clothes, or work clothes, or sweaters and long pants. Change is inevitable, but like school kids begging to stay up later or longing for another week of summer vacation we dream of endless days with sunny skies, happy children, and easy to get along with coworkers.

Easy. Like the old commercial with the Easy Button, life would be so much nicer if it was always long, lazy summer days at the beach, a cold drink in one hand and a good book in the other. Life’s ups and downs worked out by characters in novels, not needing to be worked through in real, hard moments of living. I can learn a lot of lessons vicariously; let the others endure the medical scares, the depression, the loss of a job, a loved one, a dream.

Okay, maybe I can’t really learn the lessons vicariously. Or maybe I struggle to superimpose the lessons over my unique situations. I am quick to recognize Ebenezer Scrooge’s miserliness but slower to see my own lack of generosity. I stand screaming at Frodo to throw the ring but linger over things I should remove from my life. And don’t even get me started on Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy and their inability to see each other for who they are; surely I would never judge another so superficially!

Character. You can be thought of as a character, the nuance implying that you are a bit quirky. My grandmother used to call people ‘characters’ and even as a child I knew she was trying to be honest and kind at the same time. To be thought of as having character means that you are of strong moral excellence. You are a person of integrity. You make honest choices no matter who is watching.

The truth is you don’t know if you have character until you live life in both easy and hard times. Are you full of integrity when life is going great? Are you full of integrity with life gets tough? Every day we are faced with moments of decision that mark us as people of integrity, or not. You are the only one that can judge your own integrity. Were you absolutely honest in your reply? Did you say things to get your own way or manipulate a situation? Did you not say something and allowed someone else to take the blame? Did you snub him intentionally? Was it your place to say that about her?

Character is seen in action. Character is determined by motive. Our actions and our lack of action all happen with intent. Why do you do what you do? Are you building a little kingdom for yourself, always wondering what’s in it for me? how will this affect me? what will happen to me?

From experience the people I have known who live lives of integrity and character have worlds that go well beyond themselves. They think of others, they have endured hardship and made it to the other side. Most often they have a deep faith and live with hope.

Scripture encourages us to live with expectancy, rejoicing in suffering knowing that suffering leads to growth; growth in our ability to endure, to look ahead, to comfort others, to care for those in need, and to learn to lean on others to allow them to grow. It is anything but easy, but it is crucial to maturity.

At different seasons of life our character is tried and tested and built in different ways. You may be in a summer season and truly feel that life is a beach, laid back and easy. You may be in a winter season where life seems bleak and barren with little to hope for. Whatever your season, rejoice! God is at work. He is pouring love into your life helping to build you into a person of character. He is giving you opportunities to rejoice and hope in all sorts of seasons.

And what hope we have! In a mere six months we will once again celebrate the birth of Jesus, the one who gives us hope. He offers salvation and forgiveness, mercy and grace, and ultimately life everlasting in the presence of God, things we should rejoice over and celebrate everyday.

Today I have an EASY recipe for you, so rejoice in that as well. If you need a quick way to use up some summer blueberries, these muffins are perfect. They are kid friendly, both for helping to make and eating! Just remember blueberries are colorful and a little messy.

Fluffy Blueberry Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 8 oz vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 8-10 oz fresh blueberries, washed and destemmed
  

Mix dry ingredients, I usually whisk them together to prevent any clumping. Add wet ingredients and stir by hand until just blended. Add blueberries last, folding them in to avoid crushing them. Pour into well greased muffin cups. I make 12 muffins, filling the cups to the top to create tall treats.

Bake at 400* for 20 minutes. These are a tasty treat fresh from the oven.

Enjoy!

If you need an encourager to work on your character (and who doesn’t!), take a minute and listen to the OLD song I’ve linked below. If you are like me, you have a deep desire to live a life of integrity that is tested by people and circumstances that seem to mock my attempts to be honest and kind and loving and faithful. I think the key is to stop trying and let God change us!