A while ago, I came across a recipe for “Ethiopian Cabbage”, and since it sounded delicious, I thought I’d give it a try. But after preparing it and serving it up, I found it to be less than satisfying. Even though it was good, it just wasn’t great. It needed something more, and so I decided to introduce Ethiopia to Poland by adding some polska kielbasa, as well as some potatoes and chicken broth. The result: perfection!  This combination is now one of my family’s favorites!

Ingredients:

½ cup olive oil
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ head cabbage, shredded
5 potatoes, peeled and cut into1-inch cubes
2 – 1 lb rings of polska kielbasa cut into ½” slices
1 can chicken broth

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. On another burner, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the carrots and onion in the hot oil about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and cabbage and cook another 15 to 20 minutes. At the same time, add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and then add them along with the kielbasa and chicken broth to the cabbage mixture. Cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until warmed through.

Boiled cabbage all by itself is a bland side dish with an unpleasant odor . . . a potato without water is just another hard spud . . . and chopped onion alone will often make you cry. And while some may think polish sausage is tasty all by itself, combine it with other flavorful ingredients, and you will have a delicious masterpiece that evokes a wonderful aroma!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
In a similar comparison, some may think a particular talent is not as important or valuable to the Body of Christ as another, but we’re all a part of the Body, and each part matters. There are no insignificant people in the family of God. Each person’s gifts and talents are not meant to be in competition with one another, but they are to be complementary. Each part is needed to complete the whole. You may think you’re just a “cabbage head” or another “hard spud”,  but each of us has a unique function to perform in the Body of Christ that, when combined, will result in one beautiful, flavorful, fragrant composition.

So, be encouraged!  Don’t be hesitant or ashamed to share the talents God has given you! Use what you have been given to bless not only the Body of Christ, but the people around you. Use your talents, your time, your patience, your teaching, your organizing, your baking, your designing, your music, whatever talent the Lord has given you, and put it to good use. Glorify Him in all you do . . . and lend some Christ-like flavor to your world!

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” (1 Corinthians 12:4)  “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved” (1 Corinthians 2:15)

— Cheri Henderson