Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Salt and Pepper (07/24/14)
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TITLE: The Christian Home - The Spice of Life | Previous Challenge Entry
By Trudy Newell
07/31/14 -
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As I look back at my home, how I thank the Lord for my dad and mom. Dad was like pepper and mom was the salt of the earth. I did not know what a blessing God had given me. The security of a home where we were loved and cared for, and God was put first.
Dad wasn’t a peppercorn. He was like black gold. He could be pungent at times, and make you ‘sneeze.’ He wasn’t afraid to put his foot down or set boundaries. He was the true spiritual leader in our home. He stepped up to his role, and took his responsibility seriously.
Mom added zest to life. She taught me the essential life lessons I would need to be the woman God wanted me to be. She nurtured us. She was the glue that held our home together.
Dad boldly led the home; mom set the tone. Together they complemented each other and made our house a home.
It takes both a father and a mother to have a baby and to make a home. It is possible to create a meal without salt and pepper. It’s tastier with a dash of both. The family and marriage are God’s idea. The home was the first unit of society that God put together. He created us, and He knows what we need. He doesn’t make mistakes. When we do things God’s way we can enjoy the beauty of God’s great design for the home. The home can be a shelter and provide the spice of life.
Becoming a Proverbs 31 woman is a dream I have. I think to myself, “No way! How can she burn the candle at both ends? How can she be so busy and so beautiful?” I believe God put this passage here not to discourage us, but to encourage us. It’s the standard, the ideal. It gives me something to work for in my journey toward becoming a woman of excellence.
Now the question is how does the home work in a broken world with broken people? Many times the salt ‘has lost its savor’. Moms are burdened and aren’t able to give their kids what they need. She feels guilty and thinks she has disappointed God as well as her family. Dad is often absent. Sometimes it’s an uncle or a grandmother who raises the kids.
Sometimes, a person is not able to handle various spices. My husband has to watch his sodium, and we sometimes use a salt substitute. I work with Indian people and use to eat hot curry along with the best of them. Those days are gone. Spicy foods don’t agree with me now. So we find alternatives.
God is gracious. He knows the crazy mixed up world we live in. He knows how important it is to have balance. When both parents are not there, which is the ‘new normal’ situation today, He provides what’s needed. A grandmother, neighbor or lady in the church family may provide the nourishing role of a mother. An uncle, pastor, or neighbor may step into the role of the father.
My heart breaks because many kids seem to just grow up with no one to care for them, lead them, guide them. I ask God to provide role models for our young men, who can demonstrate what it means to be a manly man. I pray these boys won’t be afraid to do the right thing, to lead, to step up to the plate and be godly men.
I pray for our girls to have someone show them that God didn’t make them to be tough and brash. He wants them to be nurtures. He planned for them to be tender and sensitive to the needs of others. That they would find joy and fulfillment in becoming what God intends.
It takes two hands to clap. Salt and pepper complement each other and make the meal tasty. A father and a mother complement each other and provide the security and flavor that is needed for a happy and healthy home. If there is a lack, we can trust God to provide what’s missing.
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Excellent bit of writing!
God bless~
Your thought about the home with both husband and wife were good. In those without both, there is usually a need.
Prayer for their needs might be the first thing we should do to help and then see what else we could offer.
If homes and families are your main interest, see what might open up before you. Do not be afraid of what it might be. It may be God's call for you.
Great job with the topic.
I agree with my Brother, Larry. Sometimes I sit down and beat my head against the wall trying to fit all that is in my head into 750 words. I chop, cut, erase, and rewrite until I can focus on one main idea and thought that I am trying to get across. If we take on too much we do disservice to our main idea.
Super writing. God bless.
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God bless you and your work for our Lord . . .
God BLess~