Honey

"How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
Psalm 119:103

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."
Proverbs16:24

"Let's go and see everybody," said Pooh. "Because when you've been walking in the wind for miles, and you suddenly go into somebody's house, and he says, 'Hallo, Pooh, you're just in time for a little smackerel of something,' and you are, then it's what I call a Friendly Day."
Winnie the Pooh

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Honey is sweet. It does not spoil. It is pure, with nothing artificial added to make it so sweet.

Imagine if we allowed ourselves to be honey. How would our actions be, our homes look, how would our souls spread?

How would our words sound?


Speaking of which, there's something about the honey of kind words. They put a wind beneath my feet, allowing me to move a little lighter than usual. A welcoming home has this effect. Being welcomed into one's home with open arms and a wide smile, with kind words and warmness, it allows me a "Friendly Day". When compliments are readily given, when efforts are acknowledged, when smiles are abundant, more of what needs to be accomplished is done.

But what about when those kind words are absent? My feet are filled with lead. My attitude sours. What's the point? If my efforts aren't noticed, why bother? I tend to have a "who gives" attitude when all I hear are negativity when it comes to my efforts and what I may have failed to do, or what I am lacking in, or how I'm not giving enough.

By the way, I live with my mother.

One of my favorite scriptures is: "Whatever work you do, do it with all your heart. Do it for the Lord and not for men." Colossians 3:23 This is one scripture I must remember in times like these, when words are not honey and my feet turn to lead. I've used this scripture many times in another lifetime, when the only kind words were from God. And it was my strength. But since then, this scripture has been brushed under the bed and forgotten, along with the mess that awaits me. Now it is time for me to pull it out.

But times like these also are my wisdom. With my daughter, do I encourage her through recognition? Am I praising her, or am I giving her more salt then honey? What of others, how do I treat them? Am I opening myself up to create "home" in that moment? Do I give others a "Friendly Day"?

My goals for the future are to have a home that anyone could stop by without notice, and still be embraced. I want a home that invites others in, that allows others to leave with more than they came with. My hope for now is that I am honey to others, that I may add to other people's souls, filling my own even more as I do. My hope is that my words are more honey than salt, and to be aware of what they are in every instance. My plan is to pay attention, and make sure that my children are encouraged more than they are reprimended.

And now? When words of salt are thrown at me, how do I react? Do I give back honey? No. I don't. And I admit that the salt I throw back can be rocks. And my chores? Unfinished.

I think it's time to start processing that honey of mine, with all my heart.