I had a plan today to talk about carrots.
However, last night I went to an amazing event being held at our church here in Little Rock and I can’t stop thinking about it.
The world is an ugly, ugly place. Orphans and abused children with nowhere to go, human trafficking, civil wars, hatred, genocide, the abuse of animals, international hunger, drugs, environmental issues, and it goes on and on and on.
Honestly it can be overwhelming. When I think about it I get somewhat depressed, heartbroken because I don’t have the time, the money, the training to help. There are so many problems that I want to fix and that helpless feeling when I realize I can’t fix it all hurts so badly. It’s easy to lose hope in humanity, to want to hole up in my house and never let my son leave for fear of the problems around us.
But then I hear God’s still calm voice telling me this: CHOOSE HOPE. The world’s not perfect, and it won’t ever be. But God? He IS. He is perfect and while he doesn’t cause all the bad stuff to happen, he is there with us through it all. Offering the hope of salvation, the hope of a lifetime with him, where pain and hurt and tears will not exist. Where we can sit and praise him in all of his glory always and forever amen.
A little heavy for a post about carrots, right? I just can’t help but want to share though. There are so many things on my heart these days and my hope is that writing them down helps change someone or something for the better!
So these carrots – I don’t really remember a time that I’ve ever roasted just carrots for a side dish. Sure, we’ve had them with potatoes and the like but by themselves? Just seems to me that they’re good enough to eat raw! I remember one time Nate was asking me to make brown sugar carrots and I probably looked at him like he was completely nuts. I had never had warm, cooked carrots growing up let alone with brown sugar all over them. After a big bunch went on sale the other day, though, I figured why not. I’ll make some fancy roasted carrots! So glad I did…here’s the recipe!
HONEY BALSAMIC WHOLE ROASTED CARROTS
- 1 pound whole carrots, peeled and sliced in half length-wise
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up. Line the carrots up along the pan in an even layer. In a bowl whisk together the honey, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over the carrots and toss to coat, then put them in an even layer again. Roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, turning halfway through. Let them cool just a bit before serving!
I’ve roasted carrots with honey before but have never tried adding balsamic vinegar. Will definitely give it a try next time!
Glazed carrots are the bestest!
Loved this post! And those carrots look amazing!
Amen, sister! I love how you sum it up with two simple yet impactful words.
I like carrots. But I’ll have seconds on your heart…any time you want to serve it up. <3
This recipe is perfect. I actually have a bunch of carrots I need to use and was thinking about what I could make!
I’m a Women’s Studies major in college (only 2 weeks until I get my B.A!!). I’ve learned a lot about social justice issues and at times I feel paralyzed–I can’t possibly help EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING. Last night in one of my senior courses my professor made an analogy to the world’s problems and a buffet. I’m going to totally butcher her poignancy, but it’s worth a shot:
So you go to the buffet and there’s all of these delicious foods staring at you and calling to you and you’re longing for a bite of every single one! Unfortunately, you’re only allowed one plate (i.e. one life). ONE PLATE! You really want to try every single food; they are all really speaking to you! The dilemma: do you pile it up high and sit and scarf down your food and not really savor it? Or do you choose what foods you really want (i.e. what is REALLY meaningful for you) and sit down and really savor those foods–fully indulging? And let others really enjoy their favorites?
So, in the end–do what you can and do it fully; really dedicate yourself to your cause, whatever it may be. Don’t overwhelm yourself with so much hurt. God will take care of the rest.
That analogy makes perfect sense – it’s just so hard when you know the impact of it all!
What a great way to describe the problem of choice and sensory overload in modern society, it’s an analogy I think can be applied to a number of situations in life.
Whew! I can totally related to feeling overwhelmed about the world and getting bogged down in it. I feel like I’m JUST coming out of a period of that.
Thanks for your sweet, uplifting post. Happy Wednesday to you!