Spices

Excellent or Praiseworthy is posted on Monday and Thursday nights.

“You are the salt of the earth . . . you are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” — Matthew 5:13-15 (ESV)

Moving can require a litany of give-aways: spices, cleaners, opened food packets, and an odd assortment of containers from refrigerators and cupboards. Somehow a stack of things always seems to remain that needs to be shifted to friends or family whether moving across town or across the ocean.

My neighbor once left cinnamon, salt and a variety of seasonings for every occasion. Another friend gave hairspray, bathroom cleaner and cat tray liners—and we didn’t even have a cat. Sometimes we leave or get items we’ll never use or don’t know what they are.

More important is what we leave behind emotionally when we move. Are others happy to see the back of our bumper as we drive from our quarters? Or do friends and neighbors send us off with tears and wishes of good will? We need to be sure we are leaving behind “spices” of good feelings, a memory of clean living, seasons of good relations and lives worthy of emulating.

God calls us to be salt and light to the world—two wonderful gifts we can leave behind as we PCS to our next assignment or leave for a deployment.

Questions to Share:

1. Have you ever given away a box of items from your house which you couldn’t take with you? What were your memories from that time?

2. Have you ever been the recipient of someone else’s give-aways? What were your memories from that time?

3. Whether you have been the one leaving or the one staying, what were the characteristics of that neighbor or friends which caused your memories of them to be good?

4. Take a moment to pray and thank God for the gift of those people in your life.