THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON NAPTIME DIARIES. ENJOY!
My husband and I have turned into “those people.” You know, the ones that sit back and talk about “kids these days” don’t appreciate things the way we did, they feel entitled and narcissistic in ways we would never have dreamed of. “Kids these days” don’t have respect for authority or the world order or the church or elders or whatever. These dang kids! Oh, and by the way, we’re only 30. Still kids ourselves.
The other day I was stewing on this for really no apparent reason when suddenly my son woke up from his nap early. “Dang it! Don’t I deserve some peace and quiet to eat in peace? Don’t I deserve to be able to make a quick meal without an interruption? Don’t I deserve to have some chocolate after every meal and snack? I mean I work hard. REALLY hard. Don’t I deserve…?!”
Suddenly it hit me. No. I don’t deserve any of it. I don’t deserve the beautiful marriage, the incredible husband, the healthy and smart and adorable little boy. I don’t deserve the house we live in, the cars we drive, the dogs we have. I don’t deserve to have the entire world at my fingertips. I don’t deserve to pick and choose every little morsel that goes in my mouth. I don’t deserve the unconscionable and never-ending love and grace of a Savior who laid down his life for me. I deserve nothing.
And yet. I love Habakkuk 3:18 that starts off with, “And yet God…” Those three words change everything. I deserve nothing, AND YET GOD still delivers. He still brings me up out of the unfathomably dark places. He still gives his love and grace, his Word, his Spirit, his son Jesus even when every entitled statement in the world has been choked out. He loves us, he loves me, still.
This place of truly understanding grace is, unfortunately, not one that I comprehend to the point that it’s like breathing – it’s not an unconscious understanding. I still have to stop, think about the fact that regardless of all the “good things” I do, it’s still all done out of a sinful heart. I have to come to that place where true reflection happens and grace hits my heart like a ton of bricks. Like the verse in ‘Amazing Grace’ says, “The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope endures, He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.” If I lost everything and everyone I have, God is still my portion. He is still my everything. And God is so so very good, truly truly all the time.
Kind of heavy for a post with a chip recipe at the bottom, right? But here’s where it comes together for me: I don’t deserve to be picky about what I eat. I don’t deserve to have the income to be able to buy whatever I want at the store. I don’t deserve to have a body that is healthy. AND YET GOD has given me these resources to glorify Him. So I stop being picky about what I eat, I stop spending tons of money at the store, and I eat foods that will nourish this body well. I stop and I thank God for his graciousness and ask for the strength to use this voice and this money and this body to honor Him. I don’t deserve any of it, but I am so very grateful.
These chips, you guys, are seriously amazing. They’re a quick and healthy snack that you can truly season however you want. They’re something you can make with or without kiddos (just be super careful when you’re slicing!), and they can quell the snack monster like no one’s business. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato (it helps if it's long and skinny)
- nonstick cooking spray
- 2 teaspoons of your seasoning of choice (I love the Creole seasoning in the picture above, but you can honestly use whatever you love! Just salt, pepper and garlic powder is great too!)
Instructions
- VERY thinly slice the sweet potatoes. A mandolin (I got mine at Walmart for a cool $7) works best for this for uniformity purposes, but please PLEASE be careful if you use one. They are super sharp!
- Arrange the sweet potato slices on a microwave-safe plate.
- Spray lightly with nonstick spray, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of your seasonings.
- Turn the rounds over and repeat with the cooking spray and seasoning.
- Microwave for 10 minutes at 60% power.
- Carefully turn the rounds over again, then microwave for another 5-7 minutes at 70% power.
- Open the microwave door and walk away for 10 minutes. You want both the chips and the plate to be cool enough to handle!
- Enjoy!
Going through some issues (serious), been running from God due to a divorce, guilt because I chose to walk away from a 19 year marriage and an unfaithful husband, I came across your message ……. thank you for the inspiration …….
I love your comment about being grateful. Isn’ the b
ook of Habbakuk amazing?!
This recipe sounds great and i just love chips. Sweet potatoes r so much better 4 u. I’m hoing to try these. Thsnks.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the chaos of life. I love it when I find a reminder, in an unexpected place, of what’s really important. Cant wait to try the chips! Thank you.
I can’t find the recipe???
Hey Opal! I’m having issues with my recipe plugin and a blog update matching up, but the recipe should be visible to you now. If not, it originally “aired” over at my friend Jessi’s blog here – https://www.naptimediaries.com/blog/ptimediaries.com/2014/01/what-we-deserve-sweet-potatoes.html
I am so encouraged by this post! I’ve been learning to be humble, recognize and receive all of God’s grace in my life! It’s incredible how much we have to be thankful for. I appreciate you verbalizing it even along with your chip recipe! Now, the chips is why I stopped by… but I don’t actually see a recipe? Just pictures… how long do you microwave them? Thanks!
Hey Jessica! I updated my blog with WordPress and the recipe plugin I was using didn’t update with it. The full recipe is actually here as well, where it originally posted: https://www.naptimediaries.com/blog/ptimediaries.com/2014/01/what-we-deserve-sweet-potatoes.html
Thank you for this post. It was the most unexpected surprise for me.
I am in the middle of a rough few days at work and have been feeling very sorry for myself.
Your post has helped me shift my attention onto everything God has already given me. I am so grateful. Thank you.
Also, those sweet potato chips look pretty amazing.
God bless
I’m so glad it helped you today!
I’ve got to say it… I was super excited to try these, but I was literally horrified when I saw that it called for non-stick cooking spray to be sprayed directly onto the sweet potatoes! There is no way putting non-stick cooking spray directly onto food is a good idea or is in any way “healthy.” I won’t even use that stuff in a pan! You can come to your own conclusions on it but I’d at least encourage you to look into it… that stuff is not good for your healthy :/
I hope that didn’t sound too harsh… I love your blog and the fact that you’re a follower of Jesus is incredible and encouraging because I am, too! I feel kind of bad saying something but at the same time you might look into it and realize you want something better for your family in terms of health! Blessings 🙂
Thanks Tierney! I didn’t think it sounded harsh at all, but totally appreciate the follow-up 🙂 And honestly I never thought about it, but since your comment I looked into it and think I’ll be investing in a misto from now on 😉 Thank you so much for looking out and sharing what you know!
Use olive oil spray.
The chips really look addictive….I am going to definitely try it!!
I hope you love ’em!
Sounds like a great snack to serve my 22 year old when he comes home from his day program. He’s always signing “cookie.” This will satisfy his sweet tooth, and he does love sweet potatoes! Thank you.
YAY! I’m so glad to hear it; the sweetness really is just perfect! Hope y’all enjoy 🙂
Ooh I have been making sweet potato oven fries with cajun seasonings and they are seriously addictive! I had never even thought of chips!
I have trouble with my sweet potatoes burning when I do this. It appears that you’ve sliced your potatoes thicker than I do, so maybe I should try that. I do love my sweet potatoes, so I’m trying it again! Hope you have a good week.
Oh Heather. If I could be like you in thinking what I don’t deserve. I’m stuck thinking the other way. It’s been a rough few months faith-wise. And of course, I haven’t been reading SRT or going to Church, so of course it’s been rough. anyway, thanks for sharing. You’re inspiring 🙂
Girl, I’m only like that about 1% of the time, trust me. And it’s usually only when God hits me over the head with it too! I’ll be praying for you girl; you’re going through a LOT of transitions right now and it can be so hard! XOXO!