Hmm. Why is this corned-beef brisket so bland? I wondered, as I taste-tested my Father's Day meal I was preparing. I turned the brisket over in its broth of cabbage, potatoes and carrots. I could see it was getting tender when a small piece flaked off with my fork. But wait! That wasn't meat! Then the light dawned: It was a packet of the seasoning mix that I had missed and forgotten to put in the pot! No wonder it didn't taste right! I quickly opened and poured it in!
Then something vaguely familiar from the Bible about seasoning popped into my head. I couldn't remember it exactly, so I ran a reference and found this verse in Colossians 4:6: "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye are to answer every man." I have experienced words of grace coming from a couple of unexpected sources recently.
Little Maddie, our five-year-old granddaughter in whose home we visited last week, was talking with me upon our arrival and unexpectedly said, "I like your shoes!" She was referring to some lightweight athletic- type shoes I had worn for our train trip.
"You do?" I said, because the shoes are not necessarily a thing of beauty. They were even called "Scrubs," and may be nursing shoes, but I liked them for comfort. "What do you like about them?" I asked.
Maddie said, "I like the style!" ( "Style"" is a word she obviously likes and understands, because when we were there for her birthday a few months ago, she insisted on wearing her be-flowered headband with the huge flower on her brow. Every time anyone tried to get her to push it up, she would say, "This is my style!"). Anyway, I enjoyed the compliment coming from such a sweet young lady!
Then yesterday, having gotten home from our trip in the wee hours and being exhausted, I was late getting dressed. I had washed my hair and put on a dash of lipstick before we went to the grocery for a few things. Walking down the aisle with my cart, preoccupied but seeing a couple of young girls about my granddaughters' ages tagging along with their parents' cart, I passed them and thought how cute they were. Then I heard one say something to me that I couldn't make out.
"What did you say?" I asked, turning around to see the solemn-looking little girl looking into my eyes, to which she replied, "You look pretty today." Wow! What a nice thing to say to a stranger! "Why, thank you, Sweetheart," I managed to say as I walked away with a warm glow. Such grace from a child!
A funny thing happened awhile ago, as I was thinking of writing this article. My husband and I had just come home from some errands, including mailing some letters. We had intended to go to the bank to make a deposit, but I hadn't been able to find a check that had come for me in the mail while we were gone. I remembered opening it and looking at it, and placing it on the mantle. Then looking at it again and putting it down on a bookcase, but it was nowhere to be found!
I have a fancy salt and pepper shaker set from Cracker Barrel with words of inspiration written in graceful script on them. I went to check the exact wording, thinking it was a scripture. It turned out that the pepper shaker said, "Season your words!" and the salt shaker said, "Salt your offerings!" As my glance fell on a plate behind them, there was the check leaning against it! It was on our A-line bookshelves!
My husband loved his special meal, seasoned just right. And I, a forthright and to-the-point speaker, am trying, by faith, to "season" my words. After all, "Faith is your companion," were the words on the decorative plate!
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