I remember this story I’m about to share SO vividly, in fact so vividly, that as a joke I included a reference to it in my wedding vows! What I love most about this story I’m going to share is that it’s funny, sweet, includes my husband, and MOST importantly it is FILLED with reminders from God.
So, I LOVE Fall. I am THAT stereotypical gal—give me some pumpkin spice, a cozy sweater, and some crisp weather and I am good to go. Needless to say, about 6 months into dating, my (now) husband and I got to spend our first Fall together. I was so excited to spend my favorite time of year with my favorite guy. This could only mean one thing—I’ve got to make him my pumpkin bars! Now, I want to go ahead and preface this with, have no fear, I have since (this story occurred) perfected my pumpkin bars.
It was definitely a typical Fall day in the PNW and I was so excited to be heading over to Caleb’s house for a tasty crockpot chili dinner. I provided the delicious dessert—my pumpkin bars! I had been making them for years and I could darn near eat an entire batch myself. After our dinner of chili, salad, and cornbread, we were both just way too stuffed (happily) to enjoy a pumpkin bar. I made sure to leave a large Tupperware of them for Caleb to enjoy at his house and I took a few home for me.
A few days later, I returned to his house for another hangout day and noticed he hadn’t broken into the pumpkin bars. Not wanting to admit mine had long been eaten, I asked him if he had even tried them yet. He had been busy, and had forgotten about them.
Now, this is the point where I will skip the details and fast-forward to the point 2 weeks later when the pumpkin bars were still in his fridge. That’s when he finally spoke up and mentioned that he just didn’t like them. Here’s a few things I learned about God because of this little story:
Have a firm foundation in Christ: Part of the piece of my story I neglected to tell was, I LOVE finding healthy ways to make desserts. I also don’t enjoy very sweet desserts…. which kind of defeats the point, right? See, my pumpkin bars lacked a few key elements due to the way I made them: sugar (the good stuff), stability (firm foundation), and taste (the joy). In my original recipe I used dates instead of maple syrup to sweeten them, no flour at all, so they were super dense and gooey, and I didn’t use enough spices to help flavor the pumpkin well. Now, does this not just totally remind you of our relationship with Christ sometimes—if we don’t have our firm foundation in Christ, and we aren’t finding joy in Him, then we are lacking. When we lack Jesus, we feel empty, we are unstable, and we lack joy. JUST like those pumpkin bars.
- Matthew 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
See things how Jesus does: I thought the bars were delicious, but Caleb really struggled with them. What Caleb DID love however, was that I poured my thought, time, and energy into making them for him. While he didn’t enjoy the flavor, he looked beyond that and saw something amazing. It’s so easy for us as humans to see things, or even people, from our own selfish perspective. Caleb could have just thrown the bars away and never mentioned them again. Instead, he tried them and shared with me how much he loved that I made treats for him. When we are put in a tough situation, faced with a trial, or come across someone who is hard to love—we are encouraged to see as Jesus would, with His eyes, and react in love.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
Speak truth, even when it hurts: Caleb told me repeatedly how sweet it was for me to make the pumpkin bars for him, but he didn’t have the heart to tell me he didn’t actually like the bars. It took me seeing the bars in his fridge after 2 weeks to ask him. He was afraid of hurting my feelings, and we all know the truth can hurt. Now, I know that pumpkin bars aren’t really a serious topic, and truth be told, it didn’t hurt my feelings that he didn’t like them (it just meant more for me!) However, there will come times when God calls us to speak truth to someone we love, and it may hurt at first. Maybe the friend that we know is telling lies to others, or the friend that is trying to cheat on their homework. What about the coworker that stole part of someone else’s creative idea? Speaking truth can hurt at first, but it can only help long term. God wants us to live honestly and to do it in love!
- Ephesians 4:15-16 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
I hope this fun story has not only reminded YOU of God’s Word, but also helped to get you ready for Fall with your family!
Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients:
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup pumpkin puree (I like Libby’s)
- ½ cup Adam’s peanut butter (crunchy or smooth!)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)
- 1/3 cup slivered raw almonds (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.
Combine all wet ingredients first.
Once fully mixed, slowly combine the remainder of dry ingredients.
Fold in any optional ingredients such as coconut, almonds, or chocolate chips.
Pour into baking dish and cook for about 25-30 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Served delicious hot, room temperature, or chilled with a little almond whipped topping!
By Amanda Schneider
Amanda grew up all over the Southeast. A Florida native, she loves a good southern meal, college football, and Jesus! She lives in her beautiful home with husband Caleb and two kitties, Beau and Bagheera. Amanda is heavily involved with her church and church community and she loves hosting people in her home, Fall season, making people laugh, and cooking anything!
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