Maple, Banana + Pecan Muffins [and using our real lives—inconveniences and all]
The last couple weeks have been filled with all the normal chaos of life—sickness, things in our home breaking or needing to be cleaned, a two-year-old very vocally voicing his opinions, skipped naps, and pediatrician appointments. It’s not been anything completely out of the ordinary—just tiring. But I find myself frustrated that I can’t seem to get ahead on tasks and annoyed at the inconveniences of life.
“God’s greatness and great story of redemption doesn’t just appear within our families by default. It is made known in and through us by deliberate praise and practice.”
These inconveniences become the most frustrating when I view them as interruptions to my real life. But the truth is, they are my real life—and that’s not a bad thing. It’s this real life that I get to use to honor God, serve my family, work, write, feed, and encourage. I don’t do all those things despite inconveniences and interruptions. It’s often the interruptions that make space to do those things best.
Real life lived gives me something to write about. It’s sick kids I can nourish and opinionated toddlers I get to help shape. It’s in cleaning up a flooded bathroom (thanks to a certain four-year-old) that my husband and I can serve each other side-by-side. (Thankfully, we even got to laugh about that situation.) It’s in the everyday, ordinary tasks—especially the inconvenient ones—that I can choose gratitude instead of complaining, praise instead of annoyance.
Ruth Chou Simons writes this in her recent book, Beholding and Becoming:
What we choose to repeat at home, practice within our families, and speak about daily directly affects our knowledge of the presence of God and our ability to recall God’s faithful works. God’s greatness and great story of redemption doesn’t just appear within our families by default. It is made known in and through us by deliberate praise and practice.
This is a lesson I’ve not learned well thus far. God is slowly peeling away the layers of my pride, annoyance, anger, insecurity, and selfishness so that I can better point my family to the faithfulness of God.
Whether in changing diapers, making meals, cleaning up, stocking the pantry, or earning a paycheck, may we use our everyday, ordinary, real lives—inconveniences and all—to see God’s greatness and daily practice praise.
P.S. If your everyday tasks include feeding people, scroll down for an easy muffin recipe that’s perfect for fall. It’s also made slightly healthier with the addition of whole wheat flour and maple syrup instead of refined sugar.
Maple, Banana + Pecan Muffins
Makes about 12 regular-sized muffins
1 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/3 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large bananas)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 egg
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 cup chopped pecans plus extra for topping
Brown sugar or turbinado for topping
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin pan or insert paper liners.
Sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the bananas, maple syrup, egg, applesauce, vanilla, and bourbon (if using).
Fold the banana mixture into the dry flour mixture. Add in the chopped pecans, reserving some for topping. Be careful not to overmix!
Pour batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each section about two-thirds full. Top with a few additional chopped pecans and a sprinkle of brown or turbinado sugar.
Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve and enjoy!
