“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.” .(Matthew 6:25-26 The Message Bible)
Mariners, also known as sailors, introduced the Hodge Podge meal centuries ago. Back in those days, it was a summer meal, a creamy stew made with the freshest of summer vegetables, new potatoes, carrots, beans, and peas. The Hodge Podge was made by choice and not out of necessity during that era. But there is another Hodge Podge era, my era.
You see, I learned the term Hodge Podge as a child when our family of six was going through tough times. Momma always trusted in the Lord to provide, and she never panicked when grocery money was sparse. She was always creative. She made peanut butter suckers out of the toughest peanut butter one could buy anywhere on earth. Momma could make pancakes out of potatoes, and a well-received dinner that consisted of cut-up, fried potatoes as the only food on the table. I can still picture the hot fried potatoes being placed on a brown paper bag to drain the grease.
As far as the Hodge Podge meal, I recall her handmade dinner, cooked in a skillet on the stove with whatever she could find in the house. There were no specific ingredients to qualify the dinner as a Hodge Podge meal. It was a make-do evening entrée. As a matter of fact, the only other entrée was an ice water beverage served in metal drinking “glasses.” Each kid had their assigned color of “glass.” Look, whatever Momma could find in the cabinets and what we used to call the “icebox,” she used her findings in her unique Hodge Podge. Some may just say it was a go-to meal out of necessity, but really it was a God-given blessing that was appreciated.
I am writing this on Wednesday morning, because I am proud of the fact that I made my own version of Hodge Podge dinner for my wife and myself on Tuesday. I have often said that if you just use what is in the pantry and refrigerator, you can make a meal. My Hodge Podge consisted of leftover shaved beef, a package of frozen corn, a package of mixed vegetables, water, and a few dabs of soy sauce, I cooked it on the skillet, and it was delicious. It may have looked like I “slaved over the kitchen for hours,” but it really did not take that much time at all. I’m learning that slaving over the kitchen saying is just a phrase, most of the time. Smile!
Why am I telling you about the Hodge Podge? Well, first it reinforces that no matter what you have to go through, trust in the Lord, and He will provide. Second, when you are one the threshold of complaining about not having this or not having that, change your perspective and look at the blessings you do have. Third, even if tough times get tougher, be like my Momma. Her face showed certain confidence, almost shined, indicating that she never lost faith in Jehovah-Jireh. Finally, perhaps someone will see your Hodge Podge example and start testifying that when faced with the improbable and the impossible, “The Lord is able, and He will carry you through.” Take the words of the well-known three Hebrew boys, “Our God who we serve is able” and make it your own statement of faith. Those words were spoken right before being thrown in the fiery furnace. A last lesson, “Keep holding on to your faith.”
Now, whether you have a little or an abundance, leave your house today, knowing you are blessed, loved, and to reaffirm a conclusion that is in your thoughts, speak some more words from a song that was surely inspired by the opening verses, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” Have a great day! Be blessed!
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, “we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.” (Daniel 3:16-17 King James Version)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King