Some Psalms

The word of God is life to all those who find them:

Psalm 147:10 – 11
His pleasure is not in the strength of his horse,
Nor his delight in the legs of a man;
The Lord delights in those who fear him,
Who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalm 146: 7-9
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
And gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
The Lord gives sight to the blind,
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
The Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the alien
And sustains the fatherless and the widow,
But he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Psalm 138: 6-8
Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
But the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You preserve my life;
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
With your right hand you save me.
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
Your love, O Lord, endures forever –
Do not abandon the works of your hands.

Salt

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Matthew 5:13
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The beautiful thing about salt – in and of itself, it really stings. Just grab a pinch of salt and throw it on your tongue and you will understand what I mean. You will be greeted by the aweful stinging intensity of the salt.

With that said, being a food scientist and a fond lover of food and cooking, I cannot help but preach about the benefits of salt. Though in and of itself, it can be quite repulsive, when it is combined with other foods such as meats and vegetables, it serves to bring out the flavour of the food. What used to be plain and tasteless suddenly becomes a delicious dish. With all the modern condiments and sauces, we tend to forget how powerful salt actually is. It has been the principle condiment in many cultures for thousands of years.

Therefore, when God says that we are the salt of the earth, it really is a compliment. It basically means that we are people who will bring out the best in all those around us. We are sent to wherever we are schooling, working, training and to our families for a reason – to bring out the beauty in them.

Well, sometimes, we can be quite repulsive and stubborn, but I believe that if we persevere, we will achieve what God has intended for us to achieve.

Not forgetting other uses of salt:

1) As a preservative
2) To treat injuries

Something to think about eh?

My short holiday

Just got back from my three day holiday drive to Malaysia... It was a drive to Port Dickson and KL (for shopping)... On the way back, we dropped by Malacca for a fantastic peranakan lunch and heavenly chendol...

I must say... It felt much longer than three days... Maybe it was because I was doing something completely different from my usual routine.... For the past three months, my weekdays have been dedicated to work and taekwondo and my weekends to taekwondo and church... Pleasant as that may be... It can get a little draining and monotonous after awhile... But the holiday... introduced a completely new rhythm to my life... For one, I haven’t had 10 hours of sleep for ages... I haven’t NOT exercised for three days in a row for months... I haven’t eaten so much sinful and absolutely delicious food for years... Lastly, and most importantly, I haven’t travelled overseas on a trip that didn’t require me to look out for small kids in such a LONG time...

Finally, on a trip where I am the youngest and people are looking out for me... Can’t imagine how comfortable it feels not having to be on my guard all the time... It is just blissful...

Really need to thank my sister and her boyfriend for involving me on this trip... Haven’t had so much fun in ages...