The parable of the sheep and the goats isn’t just a Sunday school story for me. When Jesus lists the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the imprisoned, the stranger; I see faces. I see my own childhood table, where “what’s for dinner?” was often a mystery, not a guarantee. Food scarcity has my heart because I’ve lived it. As a child, I knew the ache of not knowing what would fill my plate. As a young mother, I stretched meals to make sure little bellies were full, even if mine wasn’t. And today, I stand on the other side, volunteering with Galveston’s Own Farmers Market, assisting in the Real Food Project kitchen, and remembering that this isn’t charity, it’s dignity. Years ago, I even raised money with World Vision to feed babies working in the Donor Service Center. Every story circles back to food, because food is survival, but it’s also community, hope, and love.

So here’s a humble recipe, steamed carrots. Not glamorous, not headline worthy. Just fresh, bright, and nourishing like the meals I once needed and now get to help others receive.

Easy Steamed Carrots (from A Couple Cooks)

What You Will Need:

• 4 medium carrots (about 1/2 lb)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or parsley
• 2 lemon wedges

What You Will Need To Do:

1. Peel and slice 4 carrots into 1/4-inch slices on the bias.
2. Place 1 inch of water in a pot with a steamer basket. Bring to a boil.
3. Add carrots, cover, and steam 4–5 minutes until just tender.
4. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and fresh herbs.
5. Squeeze 2 lemon wedges over top and serve warm.

Jesus’ words remind me: feeding the hungry isn’t abstract. It’s carrots on a plate, a bag of groceries handed over, a hot meal served with eye contact and kindness. It’s not about solving poverty in one swoop but about showing up faithfully, dish by dish. Maybe this is what He meant all along. To step closer to the people who know hunger, who feel forgotten, who need more than our sympathy. They need our proximity, our relationship, our service.

So I ask you: what’s your version of steamed carrots? What small, faithful act can bring you closer to the ones Jesus never let us overlook?

Gracefully yours,

Help keep the words flowing and the stories brewing.
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Reference
Niequist, S. (2024). Celebrate Every Day. Zondervan.