10 Things About Me

It's hard to think of things that someone might not know if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram.  I tend to be pretty open and sharing about myself and my struggles...I think.  So let's start in the beginning...

1.  I was born in West Virginia.  The town I lived in, and this is not a joke, doesn't have a stop light in it.  Only a 4 way stop in the middle of down town.  Very rural, but very beautiful.

2.  My Daddy worked in the coal mines, and my Mother is a nurse.  When we moved to Florida Dad went to work in welding a fabricating.  He used to build concrete plants.

3.  I work with my husband.  No, I'm not crazy...or maybe I am...hmmm.  T. and I have worked together for over 10 years, probably more like 13 or 14.  I can't remember when I was actually hired to work in the family business, LOL, but I know it's at least 12 years.

4.  I have a fascination with Scotland.  When I was 14 or 15 a family friend traced my Mother's dad's side back as far as she could and found that they were Scottish and English.  I forget which was which, but she also found out that they were sold as indentured servants so they could pay for their boat ride over here from Great Britain.  My great, great...whatever grandfather worked his tariff off first and stayed to help my great, great...whatever grandmother work off hers.  Such a love story!  Ever since then I have been fascinated with Scotland.  Braveheart didn't help either, LOL!


5.  I don't like to read books.  I've listened to some fiction books before, but for whatever reason I have a hard time just reading a book.  Not that I don't.  I just finished a book called Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas, which is fantastic!  But I have to force myself to just read.  My Mother and my Sister read books like there's no tomorrow.  They crave books, they have to read.  I wish I had that craving sometimes, but if I don't read a book for weeks...I'm good.  I do enjoy reading to my girls, but if the book is a chapter book...I am not thinking nice thoughts in my head trying to finish it.

6.  My favorite game when I was little was Mrs. Pac-Man.  I had a Sega Genesis, and I had worked up to being able to beat that game, but only if I used the joy stick.  The controller was too much for my thumb, lol.  Had I not been that good at it I doubt it would have been my favorite.  I also liked playing jacks, cards, and Yahtzee...and do not play Gin Rummy with my Mother.  She will beat you EVERY. TIME!  So annoying!

7.  I'm not a fan of the beach.  Yes, I live 10 minutes away, but I can't even remember the last time I went to the beach.  We went to the jetty the other day to kill time, but that's not the beach.  My Daddy loved laying out at the beach every weekend when I was little.  I remember going with him all the time.  Maybe that's why I don't like it so much anymore.  We'd load up the car on the weekend, stop at the gas station for ice, beer for him, and an Icee for me, and off we went till about 3 or 4 in the afternoon.  Dad would swim with me, and he would help me build sand castles, and find shark's teeth.  Good times.

8.  If my Mother would ask me what I wanted her to make me for dinner it would be 1 of 2 things.  Either biscuits and gravy, or pinto beans, corn bread, and coleslaw.  Those 2 meals are my comfort foods.  I remember the first time my family convinced me to put my coleslaw in my beans with my corn bread.  That was a glorious day, LOL!  The slaw Mother makes is a sweet slaw, so having that with the salt of the beans and bread is a great combo...in my opinion.

9.  I can be very vain.  I have gotten better.  At least I don't look at every mirror and reflection of myself that I pass like I used to.  I have also worn makeup since I was 13.  My hubby tried to get me not to wear any after I spent the bigger part of our summer vacation last year without any on.  He even mentioned how it brought out my eyes, insert eye flutter *here*.  I tried when we got home from NC, I really did.  I spent 2 weeks without makeup and hated every minute.  I have a more red skin tone, plus I'm very fair and any amount of blood flow to my face, you can see.  If I rub my cheek just a little bit, it turns red.  If I cough, sneeze, laugh...I turn red, really red.  That was really hard for me to dismiss especially when I'd get comments about my red face and people would ask if I was feeling okay...when I don't wear mascara or brow product you cannot see my eyelashes or eyebrows.  I really do look like I'm sick.  Two weeks of no make up and I was done!  I tried to do a "no make up, makeup look", but that only worked for about another week before I was back to my usual routine. I did stop using a full coverage foundation however, plus I also really like playing with makeup, especially eye shadows.  So much fun!  I'm addicted I guess and not wanting to give up my habit, LOL!

10.  This one may touch some of you the wrong way, and it's not something that I really let out there because of people's opinions about this matter, but...hey...this is part of me and it's something that you're not likely to know... 

I'm not really an animal lover anymore.  I used to be a huge animal lover, but working as a vet tech for a couple of years changed me.  Also becoming a Mommy changed me even more.  For me, they are just animals, yes I pet my friend's and family's animals and pay attention to them, and I enjoy showing my girls the wild animals at Zoo's and Disney, but I am not going to own any...not right now at least.  That could change down the road, but right now...NOPE!  We are gone most of the day and that's just not fair to a dog or a cat, so much so that the dog I did have, I gave to my sister to take care of.  Also because after Ann was born I just couldn't handle the care that the pup needed as well as my children, husband, and house.  So, after getting peed on, pooed on, barked at, snapped at, scratched by many animals at the vet's office and mine when I'd groom her...I will do just fine without any animals.  Yes, my children did all that to me too, but at least they grew out of it, LOL!  What can I say, if you're an avid animal lover, good for you, but as for me right now, I don't want any. 

I bet you want to know what I tell my girls when they ask if they can have pets...right?  My answer, "Sure, when you move out."  I can also throw in the fact that my husband is allergic to cats and dogs and it would make his allergies flare up.

What do you think?  Are you surprised?  Did you know all that about me?  Some of you might, but I bet most won't.

Till next time!
Peace, love, and God bless,
Shelon 




#westvirginia #family #friends #pets #animals #makeup #eyeshadow #mrspacman #sega #vanity #eyes #vet #children #girlmom #gemsfromgod #blog #aboutme #mascara #brow #pintobeans #coleslaw #cornbread #biscuits #gravy #mother #daddy #florida #beach #gasstation #books #scotland #england #greatbritain #braveheart #lovestory #husband #coalminer #coal #coalminersdaughter #rural #surprised #beautiful #me

Prayer is Powerful

After I had 2 miscarriages, I call them pregnancy losses, the thought of getting pregnant again scared me.  What if another baby was lost?  What would I do then?  During the losses I had read several books looking for comfort to fill this empty pit deep in my stomach that still held no life.  I think this was the first time my heart actually had a longing for something so badly that it ached.  One thing these books had in common was prayer.  They each encouraged me to pray and be specific about my prayers. 

When I found out I was pregnant again I was so afraid.  I remember not wanting to flex my abs or cough, like doing those things would pop that little life out of me.  So, I began to pray.  I would pray about EVERYTHING to do with this kid.  That their eyes would be good, their ears would hear, their brain would work, their lungs, their heart, and more to do with the heart I would pray that this little one’s heart would be open to all things Godly.  That they would be sensitive to God’s voice and His prompting and that they would say, “Yes, Lord. I’m yours.” 

Fast forward 7-1/2 years later and we find little Gem…now not so little anymore.  This girl stretches me like I’ve never been stretched before.  God is really using her to make me more like Christ, and I am far from being there let me tell ya.  After all the prayers, Gem has accepted Jesus as her savior, and she is attending church and singing in the children’s choir.  She prays at night when we ask her to, but there is always that question of…is all of this really going to stick? 

Well… 

Last night was a busy night with family visiting, meeting her new baby cousin, showering, homework, dinner, playing with her sister and the new baby.  She was all over the place with excitement over everything.  Getting her to bed is always a struggle let alone when we’ve been so busy with wonderful things like babies, but after we prayed last night as I was getting ready to walk out of the room she called me again asking if we could pray for one of her friends.  I walked back into the room and sat on her bed, and she told me of a friend that has been saying false things about herself.  Gem told me that her friend keeps saying that she’s stupid.  Now…how many times have we had that same mental conversation with ourselves saying we’re stupid or dumb?  Self-talk is so important.   This is something that I stress in my challenge groups trying to encourage women towards their health and fitness goals, it’s not something I’ve ever stressed at home that much, but this little gem picked up on the prompting in her heart that her friend calling herself stupid is something that shouldn’t happen.  We prayed for her friend and I encouraged her to tell her friend the truth about herself.  Tell her that God says she is fearfully and wonderfully made and she’s clothed in dignity and strength.  (Psalm 139 & Proverbs 31).  Then Gem asks this question, “What do I do if she keeps calling herself stupid?” 

Can we just take a moment here…like…she 7 people…I can’t…I was not even thinking these things when I was 7, I wasn’t thinking these things when I was 27!  Ok…

I told her to just keep telling her the truth of what God’s word says she is.  Even if it takes many years.  After another few minutes of asking, what if it takes 1 year, or 5 years or even 10 years, I said, “Sometimes, Gem, it takes a lifetime for people to see and understand who God has made them to be.  All we can do is love them the best we can, and keep telling them the truth.  God loves them and they are wonderfully made.” 

Praise God for this little Gem.  

I can’t know for sure that I would have had the same conversation with her last night if I had not prayed over her heart when she was in my tummy, and over the past 7 years.  What I do know for sure that I did have that conversation last night because I have prayed for her and still do. 

Prayer is powerful.  Do it.        

#jesus #prayer #children #girlmom #mom #momlife #powerful #bedtime #cousins #sisters #god #psalms #proverbs #gem #gemma #gemfromgod

The Land of Ten Thousand Hugs

Small children really are precious.  Yes, I know they all have their moments, but when you have their attention, and you look into those little eyes you can see love, excitement, faith, hope, their crazy streaks, and their souls.  They are precious, amazing, and so shapeable.  Here’s what the Lord revealed to me this week through my Gems from God… 

Bed time is always a struggle.  I keep telling my gems when they get older they’ll want to go to bed…”Just wait…you’ll see.” I say.  I don’t know if little boys are like this, maybe at certain ages, but little girls can never get enough hugs!  I mean really…how many hugs can you want?!  I feel bad for feeling like that some nights, but asking for “one more hug” is stalling method they have learned that works…how can you say no to a hug?  Especially when they call to you in those sweet little voices, “Mommy, Daddy, hug me, hug me!” 

Dropping them off at school is another instance where they can’t get enough hugs.  Some days it’s just one, but like today…it was 4 or 5 or 6…I actually lost count.

 

Anyway, I say all that and yet…there have been times when I’ve said no…

I can’t help but think of how I’ve reacted some days when they’ve asked for those 10,000 hugs.  I was irritated, annoyed, in a hurry so I didn’t have time for just “one more hug”, I was rude…telling them they needed to “Go to sleep!”  or “Quit stalling!”  I know…I’m a terrible mother.  But God’s grace can cover that. #itsnotanexcuse  Days come and go so fast the older you get too, and every time I’ve done that I’ve kicked myself afterwards, and depending on if they were asleep or not I would go back in and rectify the situation.  I would apologize for not giving another hug and would give an extra-long hug to make up for my attitude. 

It’s funny…because looking back I see that if I would have kept a peaceful spirit with them, stopped thinking about just myself, and given every single one of the 10,000 hugs they wanted, I would have actually saved myself time, and heart ache.    

The Lord is always revealing Himself to me through my children, and in this case how He is towards me, and how I should be towards my children.  Never does He say to me when I call to Him 10,000 times, “Just go to sleep!”  Never does He say, “I’m too busy for you right now.” Or “I am so annoyed at your behavior…leave me alone!”  None of that…thank goodness!  And that’s how I should treat my children…or should I say His children He has given to me to raise on this earth.  Our babies will look to us as an example of God.  If their earthly parents treat them harshly all the time how is their Heavenly parent going to treat them?  Our babies are just like us, they have needs and wants just like us…the biggest difference is how they act out when those needs and wants happen…or…at least there should be a difference between the way I act and the way my children act.  It’s my job, my duty, my honor to teach these precious little ones how to act, how to take care of themselves, and most importantly…to teach them and show them the kind of love God has for those who are His children. 

Let me to encourage you today sweet friends…God is patient. God is awesome!  God is loving.  Be patient with your babies, be awesome with your babies, and be loving towards them.  Pursue them with relentless love…even when you feel like you don’t have the time, or you’re just annoyed by them or the day or whatever you are facing today.  Show them they are in a safe place with you just like you are with God when we call on Him 10,000 times.  Show them that living in the Land of 10,000 Hugs is the place they want to be and the place where you want to be with them.

Daniel 9:4

2 Peter 3:9

Exodus 15:11

#gemfromgod #annabanana #gemsfromgod #jesuslovesme #god #love #hugs #patience #selfless #lessonsfromgod

Thief on the cross

A definition of thief is this:  a person who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.  Having just celebrated Easter I've been thinking about the thief on the cross next to Jesus and my father. 

My dad grew up in West Virginia, with many brothers and sisters.  His mother and father went to a Baptist church and I know he heard the truth.  I also know how he lived was not "Christian".  So, I often wondered if my dad had accepted the truth.  I wondered if he had accepted Jesus. 

After I graduated high school in '99, I started dating my husband.  I graduated in June, and started dating Tim in July.  I was on top of the world.  Then one afternoon, I can't remember if it was a Saturday or Sunday, my dad walked into the living room.  I remember I was sitting on the floor, and he looked at me and my mother and said, "I'm leaving."  He gave me a kiss on the cheek and walked out.  Part of me was stunned and another part of me was not.  My dad was there more physically than emotionally for my family.  I don't know if you'll understand that or not. 

About 3 months after that Tim and I were visiting him one Sunday afternoon.  If you knew my dad you know what he was watching...SPORTS, LOL.  This particular day was a Nascar day, and I remember Jeff Gordon, my dad's driver, was having a great race.  Tim and I were going to church together and I had expressed that I wasn't sure if my dad was "saved" or not.  So, Tim just starts a conversation with him about it.  My dad knew that Jesus was the way, and he answered all the questions right, but there's a difference between "knowing" the truth and accepting it into your life.  Seeing how he lived didn't tell me he believed, even though he could tell me with his mouth.  

My dad would go on to divorce my mother, and he moved back to West Virginia.  He eventually remarried.  His new bride was also a believer.  I was thankful for that, but as things go and old habits die hard eventually that relationship ended too.  They were never formally divorced, but were separated.  

Visits with Dad were short, only lasting a day or maybe 2 when we would travel from Florida to see everyone.  The last time I saw him he was living in an apartment on the second floor.  That was hard for him because he had so much trouble with his legs.  He had gone through multiple surgeries to repair/replace veins in his legs so he wouldn't lose them.  He had lived in pain because of that for years.  Smoking, alcohol, and eating wrong will always catch up with you, and he was paying the price.  Let's just say, he was a mess medically.  It was January, and I was pregnant with my second child.  My oldest, little Gem, had always been stand offish with my dad.  He was a loud country boy and was not gentle with his girls so she wasn't getting any special treatment either, but this time was different and I am so thankful for that.  Gem was playing with him, laughing at him, and snuggling with him.  It was a great visit.  We took pictures, and watched TV.  We laughed at old jokes, and new stories.  

May came along and my little Ann was born.  My sister who lives in WV gave my dad some pictures of her, and he said that she looked like we did when we were babies.  September came along and one night I was watching a movie in bed beside my sleeping 4 month old, and Tim came to the door of the bed room.  He said my name in a way that got my attention, so I actually got up to see him instead of just being annoyed and asking, "What?!", like I'm prone to do sometimes.  He told me that my brother-in-law called, I immediately thought something was wrong with my sister, but then he told me they "found my dad", and I lost it.  I immediately went to the guilt of what I had not done as a daughter, and how I should have been more involved with his life.  I should have sent those pictures of my new baby to him, and I should have called him every weekend like my spirit was telling me to, but I didn't.  I had done none of that. 

So my dad passed away in September and the last time I talked to him was July.  I hate that.  The last thing we said to each other was, "I love you." though, at least I have that.  My dad died at home, alone, like he had always said he wanted.  From what we found with his blood pressure record and his pills he died September 12th, in the morning/afternoon.  His evening pills were still in his container.  He was found slouched over in his wheelchair towards his couch, like he had tried to get up and sit there, but never made it.  

Now, I wonder what he was thinking in his last moments.  Did he think of me, did he think of my sisters, my mother, his grandchildren, his family?  Most of all I wonder if he thought of Jesus.  I wonder if he was like the thief on the cross.  Being faced with death, did he say to Jesus, "remember me".  Did he accept God's incredible gift of life though his son Jesus Christ at the last moments of his life?  Having stolen the days he had lived for his own self, his own feelings, his own wants, and desires?  That at that last moment, even though he had stolen from God what is rightfully his, did he said yes, and believe? 

I wonder how many of us are thieves on the cross in our own lives?  We steal from God what is his, we take and take without force or violence, or even worse...we don't tell others of Jesus.  We don't live our lives in the light for others to see, and have the hope that we have through Jesus Christ. 

But even if that is true, if we are nailed upon our cross, we can say to Jesus, "remember me", and believe him.  We can have life though God's incredible grace and love, and he will say to us, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." 

I hope my dad did, and I wish with all my heart I knew.                       

Offerings

Gem has a little ritual that she does for mommy and daddy some days.   When we drop her off at Nana’s house in the mornings she will insist that she give us candy before we leave.  Most days we have time for this and others I can feel myself getting irritated inside because we are running late.  Mother has a bowl of candy she keeps on the book shelf by the front door just for this.  One time I tried to hand Gem the bowl of candy and she was quite upset that I didn’t know that was not my job, it was Nana’s.  Well, now I know.  Mother will set the bowl of candy on the rug in front of the door.  Mommy and daddy will stand there with the door open ready to leave for work while Gem kneels down and picks out a piece of candy for each of us.  She always kneels down, and she always has a specific piece of candy that she will give us.  If she we don’t get just the right one she will go back and change it.  Do you get how precise she is in all this?  After we have our special pieces of candy she gladly says bye to us so we can get to work.  Most of the time the candy is chocolate and daddy cannot eat it so mommy has the terrible job of making sure both pieces of candy don’t go to waste…awful right? LOL!   

I’m currently doing a Bible reading plan that has me in the book of Exodus.  I’m going through the chapters where God is explaining to Moses how the Israelites are supposed to set up the tent for worship and sacrifices.  Giving him the exact measurements of everything, the exact material they are to use, the exact details of how each item in the tent is supposed to be placed etc…  God also chooses Aaron and his sons to be priests for him.  After reading this and seeing how exact and precise the Lord wanted things done I couldn’t help but look at Gem’s candy ritual differently.  I could see the traits of God in her with how precise and exact she wants it done.  Thankfully if it’s not done exactly how she wants we don’t die, like what would have happened to the Israelites if they didn’t follow God’s precise instructions.  There’s a specific part that stuck out to me for some reason where God is telling Moses how to ordain Aaron and his sons as his priests and he is told to sacrifice a Ram, and at one point he is supposed to put the blood of the Ram on Aaron and his son’s right ear lobe, the thumbs of their right hands, and big toes of their right feet.  (See Exodus 29:20 Here) I can’t help but giggle and visualize Gemma ordaining Nana with chocolate in the same way so she could hand her the bowl.  LOL!  What I saw most of all was that Gem was giving her mommy and daddy an offering.  She was taking the time to pick out the right piece of candy for each of us, like the Israelites had to do with their offerings.  She had her precise ways things were to be done like God did, and doing them differently was not acceptable.  In the Old Testament God is viewed more in fear then in love.  It’s not till Jesus comes that most see the true love that God has for his people.  I can't imagine God becoming irritated with us when we are offering a sacrifice to him like I did with Gem.  Her giving mommy and daddy those pieces of candy is just another way she can express her love for us.  Just like our offerings should be to the Lord.  Precise, thought out, and given in joy. 

 

Peace, Love, and God Bless.     

 

 

 

Deep Waters

The other morning my hubby came in from taking the dog out and said, “There a dead rat in our pool.”  “How big is it?” I asked.  He held out his hands to a pretty good size, and I said to him, “Without the tail?!?!”  If that was the case this is a good size rat and I had to see for myself.  It was still dark out there so I turned on the patio light and looked at the mass floating in our pool.  I looked and looked, and didn’t see a tail.  Then I saw a little foot do a dog paddle motion!  I looked a little closer and saw that it was a bunny!  I hollered at my hubby, “It’s not a rat!  It’s a bunny, and I think it’s still alive!”  Having worked at a Vet for a couple of years I am pretty sympathetic when it comes to stuff like this.  I walk over to where the bunny was facing me and bent down.  As I bent down this little guy paddled over to me like he knew that I was there to help him.  We got a deflated raft and slipped it under him to pull him out.  He was very cold, but had kept his head out of the water.  We have no idea how long he was in there.  I grabbed a towel and wrapped him up in it.  At first I thought to leave him under the big bushes by our pool cage where we’ve seen bunnies like him rest, but then thought better of it.  He was not moving at all and that would leave him open to attacks from snakes or something.  I carried him inside and took him to work with me.  I figured that since he was still breathing that if I could give him a safe warm environment to rest and warm up in he would be okay.  I got an empty box and put some shredded paper in it with his towel, and some veggies in case he did recover fully he could have something to eat.  By the time I got to work his little body had started to shiver so I knew he was warming up.  I settled him into his box, cut some holes in the lid and made a flap that I could lift to check on him.  Around 11am he was still wrapped up in his towel, but when I lifted the lid he gave me a look that said, “Dude…I’m sleeping here!”  His little nose was going a mile a minute and he looked at me with big alert eyes so I knew he was feeling much better and was probably going to be just fine.  Come 2pm I heard him scrape at the box and bump around so I put a weight on the lid so he didn’t get out!  My hubby and I wanted to release him back at home since that was the environment that he had come from.  Plus Gem had seen him that morning and it would be really nice to let her see that he was good and to let her see him run off all hopping and happy to be free again.  Getting home we saw another bunny in our back yard by our big bushes so we decided to walk around the side of the house to release him.  This way we didn’t scare the other bunny and if that was his mate or sibling or whatever they could meet up pretty quickly.  Hubby was holding Gem while I attempted to release the bunny and film it at the same time.  Easier said than done, lol.  Finally getting the lid off I tipped the box so the little guy could see the grass and step out.  After a moment he did just that.  He jumped out and hopped away…right towards the busy road!  But don’t worry, he stopped.  Could you imagine if he wouldn’t have?!?!?  I would have not been a happy person.  He sat where he stopped for a bit, then my hubby walked over to him to guide him back towards the safety of the bushes.  He took the hint and under the big bushes he went. 

 

I was so thankful that my hubby said something and that I actually wanted to see.  I normally wouldn’t have gone out to look.  I’m also thankful that the little guy was still alive and that he made a full recovery.  That little one had struggled all night to keep his head above water so he could breath and survive.  I’m sure he paddled all around the pool.  He must have swam to the edge and tried to claw his way up using all his strength to get out of the cold water only to fail again and again with his little head sinking under the water every time he fell.  Losing his strength he decided to just float.  He coasted all night long getting colder and colder.  His little body starting to fail from not being warm.  His little breaths coming slower and slower.  His mind starting to shut down and accept that maybe he was not going to get out.  Finally, seeing someone walk to the edge of the pool, he paddled over to see if this someone would help him.  To see if this someone would see that he needed help or would they just walk away seeing that he was floating fine on his own.  To see if this someone would extend a hand and a heart towards him so he could get out of the struggle he had fought before he slipped forever under the water.

 

Do we do that as Christians?  Do we walk to the edge of the pool and see someone floating and think, “They’re fine.”  Or do we walk to the edge of the pool and extend our hands and a hearts to someone that seems fine, but is not.  Are we sensitive to the fact that people may look as though they are doing well, but if they don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior they are not well?  It’s scary to approach the deep waters.  What if I fall in?  What if they just splash water at me and tell me to go away.  Or what if they take my hand?  I believe that people just want to be loved.  1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain:  faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love.  Yes we will get splashed with all kinds of things, but even if that happens if we extend love I believe they will feel that and remember us, and maybe when they have given up and are just floating waiting till they slip forever under the water the Lord might use us at the edge of the pool and maybe this time they will take our hands. 

Peace, Love, and God Bless.

Salt Life

If you don’t live near the ocean or the Gulf of Mexico you might not have seen the bumper stickers that say simply “Salt Life”.  Not being up on all the current lingo I decided to look up what that means because just about every car I see has that sticker on it.  It is an actual brand that was formed by 4 “watermen”.  They are “extreme surfers, free divers, spear fishermen, and blue water fishing experts.”  This is their web site if you want to take a look.  So, what the sticker “Salt Life” means is to enjoy being on or in the oceans, and doing any activity that revolves around them.  It also makes me think of Jimmy Buffett and Margaritaville.  With summer right around the corner it hard not imagine sitting on the beach with a “frozen concoction” in your hand. :)  Besides all that it also got me thinking about what Jesus says Christians should be.  Matthew 5:13 says “You are the salt of the earth…”  So we are supposed to be the “Salt of the earth.”  Salt has many uses for many things.  This web site has suggestions on how you can use salt in your everyday life, other than just putting it on your food.  You can use it to clean your house, give yourself a facial, or to keep weeds from popping up on your patio.  WOW!  I knew I liked salt for a reason, lol.  The latter use really got my attention.

 

“Keeping patios weed-free - If weeds or unwanted grass come up between patio bricks or blocks, carefully spread salt between the bricks and blocks, then sprinkle with water or wait for rain to wet it down.”

 

Weeds…who likes weeds?  I surely don’t, and neither does my homeowners association.  Our handbook actually gives a measurement of how high the weeds in our yard/flower beds can be.  That might be a little much, but in any case you get the idea.  Have you ever noticed that weeds will show up overnight and look like they’ve been there for days?  How do they grow that fast?  It amazes me.  Some weeds make us sneeze or cough.  Some make our skin break out.  Some are just annoying, and others have beautiful flowers on them.  Those weeds are hard to get rid of sometimes because they are so pretty.  What about weeds in our lives?  Ugly weeds that no one sees, pretty weeds that we don’t mind people seeing.  Ones that we pull and don’t go down to the root and soon they are back.  If not tended weeds can even kill other plants by taking all the nourishment from them.  The latter of Matthew 5:13 says “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”  It’s hard to image salt losing its saltiness since that’s all it is, is Salt.  How does salt lose its saltiness?  Well…I know it can dissolve.  You may still have a bit of salt after taste but once you take a drink or another bite of food it’s gone. So, how do we salt our lives?  How do we keep from dissolving the salt we have?  Well, the obvious answer is to be in God’s word.  Another is to be involved in our local churches, and to surround ourselves with people who believe what we do and live out that “Salt Life.”  I have come to realize that the closer I am to the Lord, the more I read His word, the more I pray, the more I think on the things he wants me to, the easier it is for me to  see the weeds in my life and to get rid of them.  But the day or 2 that I don’t do the above, those weeds pop up and it’s like they’ve been there for a long time.  They start to annoy me, they make me sneeze, cough, break out.  They will produce flowers that seem to be good, but eventually they start to choke me and take my nourishment.  They take my energy I had for the Lord, my husband, my Gem, my family, and my friends. 

 

Lord,  Thank you for your word.  Help me to be steadfast in your word and in serving you.  Please give me the wisdom to see beyond the beautiful flowers.  Help me keep salting my life so that I can keep the weeds away from me that take my energy away from you and my priorities.    In Jesus name, Amen.

 

Peace, Love, and God Bless.