Fried chicken and flaky biscuits...
Ooey, gooey macaroni and cheese...
Homemade meatloaf...
Chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy...
Are you hungry yet? Psychologists have actually identified certain foods as "comfort foods"--foods that increase endorphins while you eat them. A few are listed above (and yes, I almost salivated while locating pictures to share with you!). Interestingly enough, many of the comfort foods are high in fat and calories...seemingly not all that great for us physically. But emotionally? They can make us feel good from the top of our head to the soles of our feet.
Of course, eating too much (and a steady diet of) comfort foods can have an adverse effect on our health and our waistline which, in the long run, won't make us feel all too terrific about ourselves. So food probably shouldn't be our main source of comfort.
Every now and then when I'm reading the Bible, I come across a verse I refer to as a "mac'n'cheese" scripture because it brings an immediate rush of comfort. I encountered one yesterday. A lot of my mac'n'cheese scripture come from the Psalms. Look at this from Psalm 73. "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory." Don't those verses wrap themselves around your heart and spread warmth from the inside out?
He is ALWAYS with me.
He holds my hand.
He guides me.
I'll spend eternity with Him one day.
If that doesn't make a person smile, I don't know what will. Yep, mac'n'cheese verses. And the best part? I can indulge daily in God's Word and never gain a pound but my spiritual life will grow stronger and healthier with repeated sampling. Now that's some real comfort!
Do you have favorite mac'n'cheese verses? If so, feel free to share them with me. And I'll close by sharing a healthy mac'n'cheese recipe with you--one that will please your taste buds but not add to your waistline. Cauliflower "Mac" 'n' CheeseKosher salt as needed1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets and boiled until crisp tenderVegetable oil spray1 c. heavy cream2 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces1 1/2 t. dijon mustard1 1/2 c. shredded sharp Cheddar, plus more to topping if desired1/4 t. black pepper1/8 t. garlic powder--Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Spray an 8"x8" baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Drain the cauliflower and dry between layers of paper towels. Transfer the cauliflower to the baking dish and set aside. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan then whisk in the cream cheese and mustard until smooth. Stir in 1 c. of the cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic and whisk until the cheese melts. Remove from heat, pour over the cauliflower, and stir to combine. Top with about 1/2 c. cheese if desired and bake until browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!
May God bless you muchly as you journey with...and savor...Him! ~Kim
Oh Kim, am putting on kilos while I look at your piccies..perhaps that is why I ate my comfort food fish'n'chips (without salad) and mayo tonight, it was soo.ooo good and I enjoyed every mouthful!:)
ReplyDeleteYour cauliflower Mac'n'Cheese, looks remarkably like our cauliflower au gratin, and my sister is actually making that very dish for our lunch(dinner) this coming Sunday.
My favourite Mac'n'Cheese Scripture is verse 3 of Psalm 23"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."
Lovely post Kim. Thank You.
Rosie
Rosie, i finished my Bible-reading for the morning before popping over here, and guess what? I read Ps. 23 this morning. Definitely a comfort verse! Thanks for sharing it. :o)
ReplyDeleteMy mac' & cheese verse is Proverbs 3:5 & 6. God made it clear to my husband and I that we were to trust only Him during our son's bout of cancer. It was a journey of faith.....as the doctors and nurses made mistakes but yet God held our Timothy through this incredible journey to where we are able to say..."God healed you." I loved your blog.......i have always had my comfort verses yet never considered them as mac' & cheese verses. Thanks for sharing your heart.<3 blessings to you, Susan
ReplyDeleteSusan, your verses are among my favorite, too. And I LOVE it when it is crystal clear GOD has moved--man couldn't have done it. I love your story--thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteOh my! I should not have read this post before lunchtime (with tummy growling, LOL). YUM!!! ~ What a GREAT reminder of our ultimate source of comfort: spending time with the Lord and in His Word! Thank you for sharing this today, and even though I have many comfort verses (LOTS in the Psalms), one that I clung to before entering the hospital last year (for what turned out to be 4 spinal surgeries instead of "only" 3!) is Isaiah 41:10---LOVE that verse. And it was truly a source of comfort for me as I faced a scary time. ~ Thank you again for sharing this post. Hugs, Patti Jo
ReplyDeleteDianne1954: Kim, your mac and cheese analogy "hit the spot!" What a fun way to look at our comfort food. My comfort food is also Proverbs 3:5-6. What a surprise when I walked into my daughter's apartment and found Proverbs 3:5-6
ReplyDeletetaped to her refrigerator! Her neighbor wrote a note saying that the verse was on her heart to share with Kimi. Now she knows it's my favorite too. Talk about God being in control!
Patti Jo, you don't know how close I came to fixing a pan of old-fashioned mac'n'cheese for lunch today. LOL! Your Isaiah verse has carried me through some rough spots in the road, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd Dianne, isn't it great when God puts reminders in our pathway that He IS there and He DOES care? I loved your story. Thanks for popping by!
Hey Kim!
ReplyDeleteWe were probably reading Psalm 23 around the same time,albeit we are in different time zones. It makes it kind of special to think we might have read it together.:)
I have a couple mac 'n cheese verses, depending on how things are going. I do love Proverbs 3:5&6 :-)
ReplyDeleteMy two are Isaiah 40:31: "but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." God brought this one to me when I had just initiated a tough breakup. I knew it was what God wanted from me, and that verse was on the sign of a Christian school as I drove home a couple days later. Clung to it for quite a while!
The other one is Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." So true, especially when things get rough in life and I question how we're going to get things done or how we're going to get through something... :-)
Sorry to keep this so "short and sweet" (I'm typing quickly)...Trying to get out of the house to head to the Belmont to meet up with Tammy :-P
Rosie, that would be neat if we were reading the same scripture at the same time. :o)
ReplyDeleteCatherine, I'm amazed how many times a certain verse or message pops up in more than one place--then I'm always certain it's meant to be "mine."
AH! This is fabulous...I literally LOL'd when I read the "mac-n-cheese Scriptures." Also very timely as I was recently beating myself up about my weight and love of comfort foods. ;) Thank you for sharing, Mrs. Sawyer! <3
ReplyDeleteP.S: I finally finished My Heart Remembers and LOVED it...I was not only inspired personally, but for my own someday writing career.
Meghan, thanks so much for stopping by! And blessings on your writing future. :o)
ReplyDelete