On my heart…

Hey, everyone! It’s been a while, and it is said that confession is good for the soul. I have been sliding lately. I’ve let this, that, and something else come in between me and the Lord and have neglected to read/study my Bible. There. That’s done. Time for a 180 and run the other direction.

I was scrolling through Instagram this morning and came across a woman lamenting over feeling overwhelmed and under accomplished and under appreciated. She’s a mom trying to do it all and feeling like she is failing miserably.

Well, I put that away because I was so frustrated and upset at not only her laments, but also her language – that’s a blog for another day.

Then I got out my Bible study for today. Here is the bit of a verse that I am focusing on today –

Romans 12:12 – “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

I’m focusing on “patient in affliction”. Now, other versions transcribe it as “in the tribulation, abiding/remaining/enduring”.

Patience/endurance is something that I rarely pray for, if I’m honest. I know that if I choose to ask for this virtue, I’m going to have to go through some tough times to even come close to getting it semi-correct. And, if you are like me, going through tough times is not your cup of tea. But, I have found, they come anyway. Especially in today’s world. It’s hard. It’s hard if you’re working. It’s hard if you’re retired. It’s hard if you are a parent. It’s hard if you are a student. It’s hard if you’re married. It’s hard if you’re single.

That being said – Life is hard.

In John 15:1-8, Jesus isn’t speaking to unbelievers. He is speaking to His followers. He is speaking to people that have made the choice to accept the Truth and have chosen Him as their Savior – their Provider of salvation and freedom from sin and the Law. He is wanting them to stay close to Him. He wants them to allow Him to make them more than they are at that time. He wants them to stay (abide/remain/endure) with Him no matter what. No matter if He changes/alters/fixes the circumstances or situations or not. He wants them to be next to Him. Remain in Him.

Remaining/enduring/abiding is hard. It’s easy to slide away. It’s easy to sit down and just slowly creep away than to stand firm.

The reason for this is tribulation. Tribulation, or affliction in the quoted verse, isn’t necessarily what is talked about in prophecy – The Great Tribulation. No, this is something more like what we see every day. It’s what I saw on Instagram this morning. It’s feeling pressure from every direction. It’s society telling you that you aren’t good enough or smart enough or accomplished enough or pretty enough because you aren’t doing this, this and this. It’s the generally accepted idea that if you don’t have your calendar packed full and you aren’t 100% successful in each and every situation, then you aren’t enough. And if you can’t do these things quickly enough, then you are a failure – you’re weak – you’re not worthy. For me, that is the tribulation mentioned here.

But God….

When you look at the original word for “patient” in this verse, it has a prefix. This prefix means “under, beneath, below, underneath”. In essence, the word used in Romans 12:12 for “patient” means – “to stay under, or behind, to remain, to persevere, endure, to abide, to undergo or bear, regardless of the situation and the corresponding decisions and actions of others”.

To put that into my own words, “in the tribulation, abiding/remaining/enduring” means no matter what the world (Satan) throws at you, no matter how under accomplished/overwhelmed/under appreciated you feel, stay under the wing of your Savior – stay close to Him and don’t sit down and start to slide – stay where it is warm and cozy and safe – you are enough – He has loved you so much that so many years ago He died for you – stay with Him.

Our world needs to hear this. Our world is suffering from all the yuck the devil puts out there. Too many people are feeling they are not enough. They don’t know or understand how to abide because it has never been an option. We have this freedom. We have this choice. Jesus gave it to us and the world needs it now more than ever.

PS – Thanks to Bro. Tom for reminding me of these truths.

Hiking Part 2

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7,8

Continuing up Cathedral Rock…..

It was a difficult journey. I was very conscious about every step that I took. I wanted to make sure that I was safe. There was no place to land a rescue chopper. There was no one telling me where to put each step. I had to be aware and be safe.

But then, this happened…

I had made it to the top. And man, was it beautiful!

When I finally reached the top, all I could do was sit and stare. You know, it was a struggle but the view was worth every step, every self-motivating phrase and every moment of doubt.

And I wondered, is this a taste of what it will be like when I finally reach my eternal destination? Will I look back and say it was worth all the heartache, all the struggle and all the constant need for encouragement?

And my spirit tells me yes. In fact, the top of Cathedral Rock can hardly compare to streets of gold and seeing the river of life. It can’t compare with hugging Jesus.

Paul knew when he was reaching the end of his race. He could look back and see the struggles and say it was worth it all. He could look forward, knowing that his journey would bring him into the arms of his Savior. I want to reach the “end of (my) trail” with the exact same thought – “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”.

I just wanted to share these pictures with you and give you a glimpse into my thoughts while I was on the top of Cathedral Rock.

Now, going down, that was an experience all it’s own….

Hiking Part 1

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went out to Sedona, Arizona for an early anniversary trip. We had the hiking itch, and Sedona was recommended as a new place to try.

It was a lovely time. We had a great time hiking. And while being outside in the nice warm weather just quietly being able to walk around in God’s beautiful creation, I had some time to reflect on a few things. Over the next couple of weeks, I wanted to share some of the things that I thought about out on our hikes.

First, let me set up the landscape. Sedona is a lovely area just north of Phoenix. It is a little desert and a little mountainous. We saw cactus and scrub bushes and desert roses. We also saw some amazing red rock formations that were designed by God to scale.

One hike that we took was up on Cathedral Rock. Great hike! But not for the faint of heart and not for those not wanting to work a bit. This hike was hard but worth it. It was well marked with cairns to guide you up the side of the formation.

One portion of the path led you up about 30 feet in a crevice. It was a little smooth for my taste but some wonderful soul had carved in some places to stick your toes and pull yourself up. This was the kind of path that only one person could scale at a time and on all fours. When it came my turn, I took a deep breath and just went for it! I was like a spider monkey crawling up this space without stopping, without looking up and without looking back. I just went for it! And let me tell you this, when I got to the top, I had my arms above my head like Rocky who had just scaled those steps in Philadelphia! I had conquered that crevice and nothing was going to keep me from celebrating! I didn’t care who saw me! I was successful!

All this made me think of this verse. Sometimes as we go through life, we just have to see the path and go for it. We can’t stop and think about it. We just have to keep our head down, watch where we are going and just keep moving forward. If I had stopped and looked back or stopped to see how far I had left to go, I would have been sent into freak out mode and probably started to cry. God doesn’t want us to stop in our journey with Him. Watch where you are going and don’t stop.

Just keep moving

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58

For those of you who may not know, I work with the aging population. These people have seen life. They have experienced joy unspeakable, and they have experienced the deepest and darkest of sorrows. They have lines of laughter on their face and lines of sorrow and concern. They have the graying head of one, who if given the opportunity, has great wisdom to impart. Unfortunately, some of my mature adults don’t have the recall to impart that wisdom to others.

But today, I want to tell you about one sweet lady who has made a mark on my life in the short 2 weeks that I have known her.

I started seeing her because she wants to have the energy to dance at her grandson’s wedding. Can you possibly imagine a greater reason for strength and endurance? As we are working, we often begin talking. Now this darling lady is well on the other side of 75 and still dresses to the nines each and every day. She is none too happy that her balance issues have made her choice in shoes “ugly”. Yet, this lady greets me every single time with a smile. Despite her medical problems and issues, she finds joy in her daily life.

And better yet, she is passionate for Christ. She is known in her building as the lady always blasting her religious radio station. You can’t say that those around her haven’t heard the Gospel!

But the other day, she was telling me about her burden to witness to one of the “young fellows” in the building. There is one man who is significantly younger than the rest of the building…his hair is still naturally dark, I’m just saying… My dear patient has had a burden to witness to this man. It started with the simple act of giving him a postcard with Bible verses on it. This has led to him attending a Bible study. This man, who has professed to not believe in God, is hearing the Word, voluntarily, just because this sweet little lady followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.

In this verse today, we are challenged in 3 ways.

1) be steadfast – immovable – firmly fixed or constant – This means, don’t be wishy, washy. Stand for something and stand in it all the time. Stand for the principles of Christ and don’t waver. Don’t let “no” keep you from listening to God. 2) unmovable – that cannot be moved or shaken – Remember, when God really wants to make a point, He says things over and over in different ways – hint, hint, that’s what is going on here. 3) always abounding in the work of the Lord – I want to focus on one word in particular here – ALWAYS – perpetually, throughout all time. That means, in my book, that you don’t get to stop working for the Lord. Oh, you may retire and/or quit working to earn a living, but that doesn’t mean that God is finished with you. He EXPECTS you to continue working for Him until He calls you home.

Too often, I fear, we just stop working. We need a vacation. We need a holiday away from our normal. We need some time off. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for taking time off and relaxing or going on a vacation away from my everyday normal. But does that mean we should stop spending time with Him, stop reaching out to others, stop going to Him in prayer? The answer is a resounding “no!”. I know that I am guilty of this. I take the weekend as my time away from work and may not be a faithful to my Bible study and prayer time as I should. I find too many other things to do. No excuse. Sin is sin. Put my name on the list.

But you know what? I can change that. I can chose to do things differently. I can chose to keep going.

As my little lady and I were standing and batting a balloon while she had wrist weights on the other day, we listened and sang to some old hymns I had playing on my phone. It was a beautiful moment being able to combine my passion for the aging population with my love for God. Those moments are precious to me. I’m grateful that God brings people into my life that remind me to love Him and never stop.

Be a Job

“The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.” – Job 42:12-15

I heard this passage the other day when I was listening to my through the Bible in a year. I have not been able to get this out of my head. So, I have been pondering why in the world would God lay these particular verses and this particular instance on my mind day after day?

It’s a rather obscure concept to have stuck in your head. Yes, we have all heard the story of Job probably more times than we can count. We have all pondered Job and his reactions to his circumstances and questioned why in the world would he tolerate such unsupportive “friends”. Yet, not too often do we consider Job’s daughters.

We know that the first 3 daughters were killed in a tragic accident with their 7 brothers. And that’s about all we know about them. However, after Job perseveres through all his struggles and strife, we are told that he was blessed more at the end than at the beginning. He was blessed with 7 more sons and 3 more daughters. We are told that Job lived 140 more years after his trial. It’s not listed at how old he was when he died.

But let’s take a closer look at what we are told about his daughters. 1) We know their names. We have no clue what the names of the sons were, just the daughters. This is interesting to me because normally the sons are the ones listed. Daughters were usually considered a byword, in those days. However, the writer of Job, which many consider to be Moses, was led to identify these women specifically. 2) We are told of their unsurpassed beauty. Now, why is this important? I have no clue. I’m guessing that with great beauty came great respect and admiration. Maybe this beauty was a reflection of the high regard that God had for Job? I’m just guessing here. But for whatever reason, the writer of the book felt it was very important to speak of their beauty. 3) They received an inheritance when Job died. Now, this is HUGE! We have to remember context of time here. Women, in these days, were rarely given an inheritance by their father. They had a dowry and that was about it. They were not educated and were often thought of as second class citizens. These women were respected and perceived as worthy of obtaining and managing an inheritance.

So what does this have to do with me, you might ask.

Why do you think that these women were so blessed? Is it something that they did? Is it because they were considered beautiful by everyone?

I think it is because of the faithfulness of their father. Job was a righteous man. He lived his life boldly and above reproach. He wasn’t afraid to go through the trials with God because he knew that one day he would see his Redeemer victorious over all his current and future problems. He wasn’t afraid to be frank and honest with God. He knew when he messed up and went too far and was wise enough to ask for forgiveness.

You may think that your life effects no one else but yourself. You are wrong. Your life reaches beyond your fingertips and extends past your line of sight. Your actions, your words, your choices reach way beyond you. It touches generations after you. Just as you are shaped by the ones who came before you – by their experiences, by their choices, by their decisions – so you effect those that come after you.

What message are you sending to future generations? Are you making your mark on those around you for a positive change or are you infusing negativity into your future?

Be a Job.

The process…of popcorn

“And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” Mark 1:17

Popcorn. Crisp little pieces of corn cook so that they burst inside out. With the right amount of butter on it, popcorn is nearly irresistible. But how long does it take to prepare popcorn?

Believe it or not, the time can vary from 2.5 minutes to 12 minutes! I was astounded! Now, of course, the quicker method is by using the microwave. That boxy piece of equipment has made cooking speeds crazy fast. And sometimes, I’m not so sure that is the best thing. Oh, it’s great for warming something up very quickly but cooking things in it just doesn’t have the same effect as choosing a different method of cooking.

The popcorn cooked in the microwave had a rating of 3 to 5 out of 10 compared to the popcorn cooked on the stove in a Whirly Pop pan had a rating of 9.5 out of 10. Now, seeing that, I feel the need to run out and buy a pan and pop some popcorn! I’ll wait the 3 minutes (after the pan warmed up, I’m sure) that was required to produce 9.5 out of 10 popcorn. Lather that stuff in some butter and I’m game.

The whole point of that little science experiment is to show this – sometimes we need to wait to get to the end product.

Let’s take a look at Mark 1:17. I’m not sure about you, but I have read this verse many times and never really noticed the word “become.”

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines become as this – “To pass from one state to another; to enter into some state or condition, by a change from another state or condition, or by assuming or receiving new properties or qualities, additional matter, or a new character”.

Knowing that definition, look back at the verse. It seems to me that Mark, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, was inspired to remind his reader that Jesus knew and understood that it was a process to become a fisher of men.

When you compare this verse to the other account of Jesus calling His disciples, He says, “I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) Now, there is no contradiction here. The end result is the same – being a fisher of men. It’s just like when 2 people you know tell the same story of their child learning to ride a bike. One might mention the terrified look on the child’s face when the other one failed to mention it all together. The end result is still the same.

What struck me when I read this verse was that we live in an instant gratification society. We want it now! We don’t want to wait. We don’t want to have to do anything to get it. We want what we want and we want it now.

I believe that when I came across this verse, again, Jesus was speaking to me that I need to become. I need to recognize that there is a process in how He is molding me and making me for His honor and glory. I am being invited to walk alongside Him and to learn to recognize when He is at work around me and to choose to join Him where He is at. You see, I think too often I ask Him to join me where I am at and not look to see where He is at. There is a difference there. It is as different as a kernel of dried corn and a kernel of popcorn.

But it is a process of becoming. It is a process of moving from one state to another. It is a process of assuming or receiving a new character, new qualities. It is not instant gratification. It is not the fairy godmother waving her wand and turning my rags into a beautiful, jewel encrusted ball gown. No. That’s not how it works. Jesus isn’t a genie going *poof* “what do you need?” *poof* “what do you need?”

Jesus is interested in me (and you). He is interested in developing a relationship that allows me (and you) to become a useful vessel for His will. And He wants to love me (and you) all the way through the process. If He were to give me (or you) everything you would ever need in one overwhelming swoop, well, I (and you) would be so consumed that we would be paralyzed to act. Jesus doesn’t want that for either of us.

So the next time you step into the kitchen for that delightful treat of a buttery bowl of popcorn, remember, it’s a process to get exactly what your heart desires. Don’t rush it. Let the process run its coarse and don’t rush things. It’s worth the wait.

One day at a time

Matthew 6:33,34 – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

I’m doing a new Bible study, and today’s lesson was so very simple, yet so profound.

One day at a time.

So, I have a friend that would say this to me – all the time. Every circumstance, every problem, every good thing – every single conversation – One day at a time. Bless her heart, she is so much wiser than she gives herself credit for.

My husband is a big picture guy. He can see so far down the road that I’m sure it drives his team members crazy sometimes. I’m not like that at all. Big picture stuff makes me shut down. I can only process small chunks of that big picture that my husband so easily sees. He will come up with an idea and before he wakes up in the morning, he has a plan to see it to completion. Meanwhile, I’m still stuck in concept stage. I think I make him crazy sometimes because he feels like he is always catching me up on something. But that is just how my brain works. He will have to take it up with the Good Lord Almighty on that one!

In the book I am reading, it makes mention of people asking the question – “What is God’s will for my life?” Seniors finishing high school are often bombarded with the question, “What are your plans for the future? Where are you going to college? What are you majoring in?” I’m guilty of asking those questions. Just ask my children. They will tell you. Asking questions about the big picture that you have for yourself may or may not be the right question.

What if, instead, we asked – “What is God’s will?” period. We get so focused on ourself and add the “for my life” part.

What I learned today is that we need to ask the right question to get the right answer. I need to change my perspective. I need to know and understand that God gives me daily assignments. When I follow those assignments and walk with Him daily, I will get to the big picture stuff when He is ready for me to know and understand it. You see, if God was to tell me, “Okay, Melissa. Here is what I am asking you to do. Here is what you need to get it done. And here is what is going to happen when you get to the end”, I would have all the details at the beginning. How much trust does that require? What kind of relationship would I have with Him if I knew everything ahead of time? Not a very strong one, if I were to guess.

One day at a time.

Have you ever listened to that song? Yep, it is a song from waaayyy back when. Let me give you the chorus. “One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That’s all I’m asking of You
Just give me the strength to do everyday
What I have to do
Yesterday’s gone, sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Lord help me today
Show me the way One day at a time”

Now how true is that?

There are times when the big picture stuff is necessary. A senior needs to have some idea of what he/she thinks the future will hold. But they need to get that perspective from the One that knows the end of the story. I need to know and understand what the end will be – eternity with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But I don’t, necessarily, need to know every detail along the way until I get there. No, I need to be sufficient with taking one day at a time. One assignment at a time. One step at a time. One day at a time.

Becoming

‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬ – “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”

Last night, one of the guys at my church brought a message partially centered around this verse. He did a great job.

I had listened to a podcast earlier in the day about becoming who you are. Of course, it was a secular thing and there was really no spiritual meaning attached to anything they said, but I believe that God brings things into your life to teach you and grow who you are, no matter the source.

So, those things together got me to thinking about becoming. What does it actually mean? Off to Dictionary.com I went. Here is the definition I found – “to come, change, or grow to be (as specified)”. The 1828 Webster’s definition is this – “to pass from one state to another; to enter into some state or condition, or by assuming or receiving new properties or qualities, additional matter, or a new character”.

I am not the same person I was yesterday. I will not be the same person tomorrow that I am today. I should be growing and changing and becoming closer to the person God would have me to be.

When Jesus called out His first disciples, they were a ragtag bunch of men that really had no significant background. They were fishermen who had probably been fishermen since they came into that area. It was what they did and who they were. They weren’t great scholars or problem solvers or men of renown. But Jesus saw something in them that made Him call them away from their nets and everything that they had ever known.

And they weren’t great missionaries straight off the starting line. It was something they had to grow into. It was a pattern of growth from one state to another by the learning of new qualities and the refining of pre-existing qualities. But it required challenges and choices and being thrusted into situations that were confusing and combative. It wasn’t an easy growth period to be sure. But each one became someone different, someone better, someone who would advance the Kingdom of God beyond all human comprehension.

Where does that leave me? Have you ever heard that song “He’s still working on me”? That’s where I am. I am still becoming. I am still becoming the wife, mother, employee, blogger, daughter, friend, occupational therapist (and whatever other word to describe me that I’m currently leaving out) that He wants me to be. I’m a process – a work in progress. I need a sign some days.

I guess what I want to send out to everyone is this – be patient with yourself and with others. We are all becoming. We are all works in progress. It might take a while to get where God wants us to be, but one day, we will get there.

Still waters

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:1-2‬ ‭KJV‬‬ – “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”
I have not been walking beside still waters lately. Oh, nothing has been terribly wrong. I have just been so busy that still waters seems to be a distant memory. 

Last weekend, we went to the beach. The place where we were at had some pretty energetic waves. My nephew and son took quite a face full of sand a few times while boogie boarding. Yet, as I walked along the beach, doing what I love to do – hunt for cool shells, I heard a jingling sound. When I looked, that jingling sound came from the amount of shells that the waves were dropping in this one particular location. They were congregating at this one spot but the waves were so rough that you couldn’t get in there to see what was being left behind. Trust me, I know. I would attempt to get to them and the wave would crash bringing with it pieces of coral and broken shells that rammed into my feet and legs. It was not pleasant, let me tell you.

But if I waited, if I stood there for a significant length of time watching the waves go in and out, a time would present itself, for just a short period, that I could run out there and view the plethora of shells that the ocean had left behind. I found 2 really large clam shells, a very old and small conch-type shell and many very pretty little shells. But I had to be fast. Those still waters didn’t last long.

That’s the way I feel my life has been since my last post. Nothing really exciting or earth shattering has occurred. My waves have just been energetic and and sometimes a bit rough. But when those still waters come and I’m able to be still, man, the things I find are beautiful and sweet. They are rare and beautiful treasures that I can store in my heart.

Flavor Enhancer or Grass Killer

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:13‬ ‭KJV – “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”‬‬

I had a really good Sunday school lesson this week. I have shared it with my ladies’ group and with my husband’s Sunday school class. But I really feel that I should share it with you today. 

Salt. Yummy, yummy salt. It makes food taste good. But did you know that salt does more than make things taste good? I want to look at the purpose of salt and relate it to our walk with Christ.

1) Preservative – Salt has been used for many years to preserve food. People used to rub a ham with it and hang it in a smoke house to preserve the meat until they were ready to eat it. I know in my house, we use salt in our beef jerky to preserve the meat. Preservation is good. But what are we doing to preserve the teachings and statues of Christ in our life and in our world? You see, followers of Christ are supposed to be the ones restraining the movement toward moral, spiritual and political decline. Yet, too often, I fear that we are sitting on our hands and taking the back seat on way too many issues. We are letting things decay around us faster than we have ever seen in the past. We are not being salt.

2) Flavor – Salt adds flavor to whatever it is applied to. A good salty tortilla chip really adds zest to an already delightful salsa. Salt on a fresh, ripe, summertime tomato is hard to beat. When you leave salt out of a recipe, you can taste the difference. The food is bland. It may be palatable, but not enjoyable. And so is a life without Christ. We need to live our Christ-filled life in such a way that people will see how bland their life is without Him. We need to add flavor to the lives around us. 

3) Create thirst – Now, this one was the one that got me. When you eat those delightfully salty tortilla chips without the salsa, what happens? You are reaching for a glass of water because the salt makes you thirsty. We need to be showing Christ so much in our life that people are thirsty – for the Living Water. (This lovely analogy was brought to my attention by a young man we go to church with – thanks Luke!) ‭‭John‬ ‭4:10, 13-14‬ ‭KJV – “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” Jesus is that Living Water. When we come to Him thirsty, He gives us Water that will never leave us thirsty again. How beautiful and cool is that!

Salt has to be kept pure in order for it to remain useful. Have you ever been cooking and spilled some salt on the counter with all the other stuff you have spilled? You can’t separate the salt out and try to put it back in the bowl. Once it touches something else, you have deminished it’s usefulness. Yes, we a followers of Christ are supposed be in the world telling others about Him. But we can’t let the world tarnish our usefulness for Him. It is a delicate balance, for sure. But we have to remember to let Him lead us and not go where He doesn’t lead. 

I love how God uses the simple things in life to remind us of great spiritual truths. He knew that we would all understand salt, no matter when the Scripture is read or studied. So take to heart this little lesson on salt. And…be salty!