Tip for Tuesday- Hold On Tight!!!

My Tip for this Tuesday is "Hold on Tight!" to molasses when you take it out of your pantry!
If you don't...and it is in a glass jar...it is very messy!

Today as I was talking to a good friend, I dropped my molasses on the floor. Why I have it, I don't know, it has been in there for at least 2 yrs. I probably needed a tbsp. for some recipe I have never made again.

It was about 4:20pm, I just remembered I did not chop and cook my onions for tonights supper, taco soup. So I hurry to get this done while on the phone. Being the wanna-a-be multi-tasker I am not very good at, I went to grab a can of beans for the soup. As I did, down went the big container molasses...all over the floor. If you have never have experienced this, let me tell you it is a big, sticky, stinky, mess, one you don't want when you are behind with supper plans!

With 4 little ones in the house, when there is a CRASH! you automatically here the pitter pattering of the feet running towards you. Joyful noise, yet frightening as you know it could mean more of a mess if they decide to help! :)

My first set of feet I heard coming were Kaylyn's...my first instinct was to tell her, "STOP! There is a mess and broken glass, I don't want you to get hurt." She left.

As I was beginning my clean up, I started to think of this mess in a spiritual way. I know only the Lord could put this on my heart, at this busy time.

The molasses on the floor was like sin. Dark, messy, smelly, sticky, hard to get clean up.

I called Kaylyn, who is 7, in and said to her, "Kaylyn, I was sitting here cleaning up my mess when I started seeing this molasses mess in a different way. God showed my heart something about it."
She quickly jumped in and said, "Sin."
Me: "What about sin?"
Kaylyn: " It is dark like the sin in our lives."
Me:" That is right!" Surprised she got it so quickly.

I then heard 2 more sets of pitter pattering feet running my way. Instead of rushing them out of the room, I told E amd Katie Faith to sit down, I wanted to tell them something exciting about the mess on the floor.

As my 3 older children sat down with anticipation, I shared with them how this mess was related to us spiritually.

The big glop of molasses on the floor was like our sin. Dark. Our sin is very dark. It keeps us from God. Then I asked them to smell it. They bent down one at a time. I asked if it smelled good or yucky. They said "Yucky!" I explained how our sin is like a bad smell to God ( I am talking to young kids here, remember). "He can can have nothing to do with it. He is holy. He can not be around anything with a 'bad smell' only good smells like the goodness and holiness of Christ."

Next I asked the kids to taste. "Gross!" exclaimed Kaylyn. The other two were a little more intimated to try it. I explained once again, God CAN'T be around gross sin ( the other 2 finally tried it...but they liked it. Hmmm...)!

As I sat there, with the spoon, slowly scraping it up I explained to them when we trust in Christ and repent of our sins, it doesn't mean we will never sin ( as they know because I sin against them and ask for their forgiveness, yet they know I have a "changed heart").

I explained God works in our hearts and though we still sin, He is "chipping away our sins, like I am slowly scooping up this stuff with a spoon" ...changing us to more and more like Christ. They listened to me intently. I told them we need to seek Christ, have His Word in our hearts.

When I finished, I told them they could go play "garage sale" again.

Then I hear the tiniest feet in the house come pattering up to me. Elijah. Who is 20 months. I greeted him ith a big smile, holding him back from mess I was still cleaning up. I gave him a quick, enthusiatic explanation of what I told the older 3.

Did he understand a word I said? No. Did the others?

I am not sure, but I do know that when you share God's Word it will not come back void. I pray God will open up their young hearts to HIS truth. That they take each moment in their own lives to reflect upon Christ.

I pray they will "Hold Tight" to God's Word, and it will be ever so true in their hearts as it is to AJ's and mine!

Do you struggle with your sin? If not, seek Christ. If you do struggle...Hold tight! God is working in you!

I thank God for this mess...it was a good hour of cleanup!