Humility that Welcomes Discipline (Recipe: Kerala Prawn Roast)

For many of us, especially in my case, taking criticism is really not easy.

Proverbs 12: 1: Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

It’s something else when the bible calls you stupid….this one has to be true! Those who don’t like to be corrected are stupid according to God! But apparently there are people that ‘love’ discipline! Can you imagine that? Many of us have a hard time admitting when we’re wrong most of the time….it’s hard to imagine someone who loves to be corrected alllll the time. You know what would be different about that person? They would have an amazing amount of ‘humility’. For example, if you were a computer programmer doing some work, and you had Bill Gates walk up to you and point out some flaws in that program you were working on, not many of us with any amount of sanity would shrug off the correction! This is Bill Gates! If anyone knows computers it’s got to be this man! In our minds, he is in a higher position than we have given ourselves and so it is easy to take correction from him! It’s easy to be humble with a man like Bill Gates, but what about your friend, your neighbour, your sister, your maid, your spouse or your children (surprisingly yes! They have a lot to offer in the ways of correction too!)?

The only way we can be open to correction is, if we can be humble and acknowledge that we are a work in progress and nowhere near perfect. The Lord can send you a word of correction through anyone, we have to be humble enough to receive it from any source.

In Number 22: 22-34, we see the story of Balaam, who angered the Lord and so had an angel sent out to kill him. Balaam’s poor donkey, who served him faithfully for years saw the angel waiting for Balaam with a sword and so tried to save him by swerving from the path. The donkey does this thrice and gets a thrashing from Balaam each time. Finally the donkey opens his mouth and tells Balaam what the deal is!

A donkey was trying to save Balaam’s life and God finally let the donkey talk to his master, to give correction to him! Discipline can come from any source, but what we need is the humility to be able to welcome it with joy, knowing that this will bring us one step closer to betterment.

Another interesting verse in the bible is,

Proverbs 22:4: The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honour and life.

In other words, if you’re humble, you can avoid being stupid and so achieve riches, honour and life. Our tendency to elevate ourselves, nurturing our ever growing pride, will surely cause us to stumble and fall, because we will think that we are right even when we’re not, losing the opportunity to be corrected and fail miserably in the process. Let’s ask the Lord for plenty of humility so as to never lose a single opportunity at correction!

I was thinking of going for a seafood recipe today!

Kerala Prawn Roast

Ingredients:

Cleaned and deveined prawns – 1 kg

For marinade:

Turmeric powder- ½ teaspoon

Chilly powder – ½ teaspoon

Salt – as required

Water for boiling – as required

For cooking:

Sliced Onions – 2 large

Sliced Tomato – 1

Ginger- Garlic paste – 1 Tablespoon

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Chilly powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 ½ Tablespoon

Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon

Garam masala powder – ¼ teaspoon

Split Green chilly – 3

Water- 1 cup

Curry leaves – 3 stalks

Diced Coriander leaves – 3 Tablespoons

Coconut oil – 4 Tablespoons

Instructions:

1. Marinate the prawns in the marinade ingredients and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

2. Place the prawns in a cooking pot with enough water to cover them and boil till all the water evaporates.

3. Heat the coconut oil in a kadai, add curry leaves, followed by green chilly and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté till the raw smell subsides and add onions. Stir till onions are well fried, they should brown at the edges.

4. Turn off the flame and add turmeric, chilly, coriander, cumin, garam masala powders and mix well. Turn the flame back on. Now add tomatoes and sauté till they’re blended in well with the onions.

5. Add the cooked prawns to this and stir well, followed by water and salt as required. Cook till the water is gone completely, stirring occasionally. Check for salt and add more if required. When the oil starts to separate and the prawn masala is getting a bit dry, showing a dark red or deep brown shade, turn off the flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.