Trusting your Feelings-(You can't) :-)

Trusting Your Feelings

I was watching an old movie on Saturday afternoon.  It is now a classic, but I remember the year it burst on the scene and became a hit.  It was 1977 & I was on a date with my Air-Force navigator fiancée.

This movie appealed to my adventurous young husband-to-be.  It had flying action, a beautiful princess in distress, and a bunch of bad guys that needed to be shown that Good always wins out over evil.  I enjoyed the story-line, too, but we had a serious talk afterward about the underlying message of the movie.

Hollywood doesn’t often acknowledge God for who He really is, and this movie didn’t either, but in our youthful optimism, Greg & I were able to personally equivocate the “Force” the movie referenced as the Almighty God who loves us, & died for us.  Our access to Him through prayer would be our source of power to face the days ahead in our married life.

Jesus wants us to lead others to Him by living a victorious life on this earth, and telling of his sacrifice on our behalf.   He is the “Force of the Universe” that will never leave us or forsake us, a very Present help in times of trouble as the scriptures tell us.

There were many other things about Star Wars that were, of course, the antithesis of a victorious Christian life.  I was reminded of this as I watched Young Luke Skywalker crawl into the cockpit preparing for a life or death situation.  He heard a voice saying…“Luke, Trust your feelings.”

Now if there is anything more fickle than my feelings, I don’t what it is.  Some days when I do not FEEL God is there for me, I literally have to tell him, based on His Word that I trust Him.   There is victory when I choose to believe even when my circumstances seem hopeless, & God counts my belief in Him as righteousness.

God has always come through for me.  He will for you, too.

Here is a recipe that came to me in 1977.  It is a layered strawberry salad that I have served many times over the years.  Serve it with the meal or as a light dessert.

I’m Sue Murphy…..and I am Confection-ately Yours.

 STRAWBERRY SALAD
1 (6-oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin 
1 c. boiling water
 2 c. sour cream
3 med. bananas, chopped
1 (20-oz.) can crushed pineapple
2 (10-oz.) pkgs. frozen sliced strawberries, in syrup

In a medium bowl, combine gelatin and boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved.
Add undrained pineapple, strawberries, and chopped bananas stirring to combine.
Divide in half. Pour half of the gelatin mixture into a 9 x 13 dish. Leave the rest of the gelatin at room temp. 

Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Spread sour cream over the
set gelatin and spoon the rest of the gelatin over the sour cream. Cover and return to refrigerator until set, about 90 minutes. Yield: 12-15 servings.
Note: Sugar free gelatin (6 serving size) and plain frozen strawberries with the addition of sugar free sweetener may be substituted to lower sugar for those who need to watch their intake for health reasons. 

I like to make this in individual footed dishes and garnish with whipped cream, mint leaves and fresh strawberries.