Positive Confessions

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

It started like any other mentoring Sunday.  The parish scholars, public elementary and high school students, were starting to come into the chapel to once more meet up with their assigned mentors.  The program that morning was to center around the scholars’ need to set goals on how to better their lives.  In a prior meeting, it was agreed that it would be good to have an older scholar share with the rest of the kids her story of what and how she was doing to achieve her dreams. 

So why were tears slowly streaming down my face as I listened to Z, a shy parish college scholar tell her story? 

I thought I had heard it all.  Tragedy. Hardship. Struggles and trials.  It’s not like I have not heard similar stories of children being abandoned by their fathers.  Nothing new about hearing how a mother worked herself to the bone so that her children could get a decent meal, a decent education.  Or how one skipped a meal, not once but most of the time, in order to have enough funds to buy school supplies.  I have read lots of stories of people who, against all odds, came up on top.

As her story unfolded, she also gave testimony to God’s goodness and faithfulness to His promise. 

There were tears because I felt ashamed.  No matter the hardship Z faced, she knew and felt God was doing the impossible so it could be possible for her.  She did not have much but she had great faith.  On the other hand, I felt that my faith was weak inspite of how much I had in life.    

Second, I was awed to be in the presence of a person who showed steadfast loyalty to the Catholic faith. Z told us of tempting offers of generous scholarships by members of another religion.  But she would have had to renounce her faith and convert  to said religion.  She chose to remain faithful with the ardent belief that all will be alright in God’s time.   There were tears in my eyes because I was afraid that should my resolve be tested, I might not be as strong as Z.

I was misty-eyed because my heart was full of joy for Z.  Joy in hearing this young lady proclaiming how generous God has been to her and her family.  There was no tinge of bitterness as she relayed her story.  The audience sat enthralled.  We were like parched land and her words were raindrops.  We took in every word.

When Z finished, the chapel was quiet  for a moment.  Then the audience started to clap and there were smiles all around. 

The kids were excited as they broke up into smaller groups.  They proceeded to discuss with their respective mentors how Z’s inspiring story would help them achieve their own goals.

As I left the chapel that morning, I realized that the scholars and their parents were not  the only target of the talk. My faith needed strengthening.  I needed to set goals— I need to be inspired as well. 

-----xoxoxox-----

As has been the custom, gifts consisting of a bag of cupcakes are given out to scholars celebrating their birthday for the month.  On this particular Sunday, four scholars were  celebrating their birthday.  Each received their treat as their names were called and a souvenir photo was taken. 

No matter how small, we felt that any gesture of recognition will go a long way in building confidence these scholars need to boast their spirits.

---xoxoxox-----

Even better than store-bought cupcakes to boast moral are the home-made version.  I just got the right recipe to inspire positive aspirations in your lives.

Cinnamon-Crunch Sweet Potato Cupcake (adapted recipe from William-Sonoma)

For topping, stir together in a small bowl and set aside:

3 T sugars

1 t ground cinnamon

For cupcake:

2 sweet potatoes (orange-fleshed of the Taiwan variety), about 440g total weight, peeled and cut into chunks.  Boil these in water and cook until tender.  Remove from heat, and drain.  Mush with a fork or food processor until slightly fluffy.

Dry Ingredients:

1 ¾ c all-purpose flour

½ t ground cinnamon

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 large eggs

½ c vegetable (canola) oil

½ c milk

Grated zest of 1 orange

¾ c walnuts (or any other nut), coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 200 C (400F). Drop paper cupcake liners onto cupcake pan.

In a bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients with the orange zest. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Add the mashed sweet potatos and beat until completely blended. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until evenly moistened.  The batter will be slightly lumpy.  Fold in the nuts just until evenly distributed, mo more than a few strokes.  Do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into each cupcake liner, filling it 3/4s full.  Sprinkle each with topping.

Bake until golden, dry and springy to the touch, 20-25 minutes.  A toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake should come out clean.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm, with butter.

One bite and watch your outlook on life turn positive.

 

Remember, negative feelings cancel out God’s actions.  So let’s stay positive!