“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34
There is a peacock that lives near my house. Or at least there used to be, I haven’t seen him lately. We most often saw him in the road or by the side of the road between the long gravel driveway and the old farmhouse that could use a coat of paint. Sometimes he would be atop the stand alone carport, lording himself over a couple of old cars and a motorcycle.
I hope he is still living, amidst the aging properties on the old country road. The sight of his plumage always lifts my spirits and seems to raise the standard as we bump along the county road no one wants to pave. He is remarkable in his blues and greens; long, lovely tail feathers standing at attention for no one in particular. There is never a peahen around for him to impress, just a few cars slowing down to enjoy the surprise of his splendor.
He is a surprise, because we do not live near a zoo or a palace or any other place where one would expect to see such a magnificent bird. One presumes a bird like that would never live on a run down country road. But he does. Or at least he did.
His presence reminds me that my judgments, my assumptions and presumptions are not always correct. It may not surprise you to think that I am often wrong in my thinking, but most of us believe we are on the right track more often than not. Most people are more willing to think the other person is wrong than to assume they, themselves are wrong. Call it human nature, call it pride, call it presumption, like the peacock on the car port we live as lords over our own kingdoms.
My presumptions often center on believing the world should operate as I want it to, the lord of my own little kingdom. My children should behave as I tell them, my husband should bring me flowers weekly and all my appliances should always work. And the shelves should dust themselves. My kingdom is centered around me.
But God tells us there is a bigger kingdom we should concern ourselves with. It is His Kingdom. The God of everything offers us everything: “all these things” as we seek first His Kingdom. The ‘all these things’ are found in the previous verses and include food, clothing, and shelter. He will take care of and provide all your needs when you trade in ruling your own little kingdom for seeking His.
And how He provides. I cannot promise that all your appliances will always work. I am on my third oven and pray over my freezer daily, but here I am, happily having had three ovens, writing in my cozy kitchen. In the course of the morning I have seen both rain and sunshine. I have spoken with people in tears and people jumping with excitement. God’s kingdom is full of surprises, like a vibrant peacock on a dingy gray carport.
Seeking God’s kingdom enlarges your world. His kingdom is comprised of people. People He created and loves. People like you and me He wants to conform into the image of His Son. It is not easy work. You may feel like a peacock on a country road instead of a prince or princess in a palace, but just as my neighbor peacock strutted his feathers despite his surroundings, I encourage you to be all that God has made you to be right where you are. Do not presume you are in the wrong place, or working the wrong job, or stuck. Look around. Are you seeking God’s kingdom? Then you are right where you belong. Strut your feathers where God tells you to.
The recipe I am going to share with you today is as peacock as they come! It is PURPLE. Very vibrant and all about show. The recipe is for Purple Lady, a jello dessert I remembered from when I was a child. I found it in an old church cookbook and along with the recipe I found a poem my aunt had written. I want to share the poem with you first, to help you seek the Kingdom of God.
Pilgrim’s Potpourri
by Jean Gronquist Wells
Nobody else can eat for you,
that’s something only you can do.
Others may cook your meal for you,
but eating –only you can do.
Nobody else can grow for you,
or pray or think or read for you,
or lovely thoughts sow for you,
that’s something only you can do.
The Master said, “Our daily bread,”
not monthly, yearly or stored ahead.
Feed on Him, His words pursue
that’s something only you can do.
Purple Lady 1970
- 2 small packages raspberry jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1/2 pint whipped cream
Dissolve jello in boiling water, add fruit. Mix well. Chill until partially set then fold in whipped cream. Chill until firm.
That is the original recipe. I struggled to find the ingredients and obtuse sizes so I modified the recipe and made a close facsimile to what I remembered. This is a great, color popping jello dessert. It is rich the way I did it, so beware of too large a helping.
Purple Lady 2024
- 2 small packages cherry jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 can blueberry pie filling
- 1 15 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 8 oz cool whip
Dissolve the jello in boiling water. Add the entire can of blueberry pie filling as well as the drained pineapple. Stir in jello and allow to chill. I put mine in a large but shallow casserole dish. To serve, place a heaping spoonful in a fancy glass. Top with a squirt of canned whipped cream and a mint leaf.
