By 8 am the other morning, my kitchen looked like a crime scene—stuff shattered and splattered everywhere! There was, of course, no intruder—no forced entry—nothing stolen. But things were broken—including my hopes of having a fabulous breakfast!
To begin with, you must know that I am not a morning person. I can usually function satisfactorily with some effort, before 9 am but it certainly does not come naturally. On this particular morning I had slogged my way into the kitchen with the full intent of making myself the same smoothie I had made nearly every day for a year. It was routine. It required little to no brain function at this point.
I grabbed my blender pitcher (I have a Vitamix—a small, but essential little appliance we splurged on years ago when our daughter became chronically ill and smoothies became her best friend). I poured in about 12 ounces of cold water. Next, I scooped a tablespoon of almond butter onto the tip of a butter knife and set it in the pitcher to be scraped off by the upcoming mound of spinach leaves. Ah, spinach—it was a good day for a lot of spinach and I piled it high. Then came the chocolate protein powder, the chia seeds, frozen raspberries, and a little squirt of chocolate stevia. And…viola! I was ready to blend.
I set my pitcher onto my Vitamix, fastened the top securely, and flipped the switch. This workhorse machine spooled up with its normal, noisy vigor but began to crackle, clang and violently bang until, as quickly as I could, I shut it back down. By then, however, it was too late. The pitcher had burst and I was left with a shredded green wet mess across my counters, up my backsplash and onto my wood floor! What in the world!?!
I looked at the disaster in my morning malaise without the slightest idea of why this had happened. It wasn’t until I peered into the pitcher that I saw the culprit—the metal butter knife! Hidden under my mound of spinach, I had completely forgotten to remove it!
In case you are a blender novice I will tell you that metal knives do not fair well even in the best of blenders. Blenders, obviously do not perform well under those conditions either! Over the years, my Vitamix has pulverized a million things: carrots, celery, nuts, seeds, berries, ice cubes—you name it! But it was simply never designed to handle metal. The resulting disaster that morning was iron-clad evidence.
Our lives are a lot more complex than Vitamix blenders and we are certainly able to process a lot more than fruits and veggies! But just like the best of blenders, we too have our limitations. And when we allow things to be added into our mix that we were never meant to handle (resentment, bitterness, pridefulness, or fill-in-the-blank in whatever way God is personally convicting you) the resulting principle is the same—far-reaching wreckage and debris! We need to be on guard for the “metal butter knives” that can so easily slip into our lives under the radar. If we don’t remove them promptly, we are guaranteed some messy consequences!
In case you’re wondering about the state of my Vitamix, you’ll be relieved to know that my basic machine is still functioning, thankfully. You can also rejoice with me that a new pitcher—complete with new blender blades—is on its way to me as I write this—thank you, Amazon!
And just in case you are anxious to try a smoothie of your own after reading this, I will bless you with the exact recipe I used on that fateful morning—minus the butter knife, of course!
Blessings to as you make your smoothies and guard against those hidden butter knives —wherever they may be hiding!
“God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way— the path that brings me back to you."
Psalms 139:23-24 TPT
Chocolately Goodness Smoothie
Blend the following ingredients in a high-powered blender until fully smooth and creamy! Enjoy as a healthy and delicious breakfast or anytime treat! And don’t let the green color throw you—it’s actually very tasty!
8-12 ounces cold water
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 teaspoon chia seeds
2-4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup frozen raspberries (or blueberries or strawberries)
Liquid stevia for added sweetness (I use chocolate stevia)
Ice cubes (optional)