My Salty Day with the Babe Magnet

Today was a really fun day with Conner, and I had a really good day with God. My Bible study was pretty normal....I am still reading and studying the Sermon on the Mount, and I read the part today about salt and light. I thought about what makes me
"salty", and no, I don't mean potato chips! When I know I am trying to please God instead of myself, and when I know that I'm not relying on my own "goodness" but totally relying on God to make something good out of me, then I really feel free to be who God made me. I'm really bland when I'm just going through the motions, trying to look good for those around me....doing the bare minimum. I can't even stand myself on those days, and I can imagine how God feels about that version of me.
Today I felt really free...and kind of "salty". A huge burden is lifted off of me when I'm not worrying about whether or not I am going to submit (there is that word again) to what God wants me to do. My stubborness only succeeds in taking away any freedom God wants to give me. When I am making excuses, I am a slave of my own making. Often I try to explain away why it is I am not doing the thing I know God wants me to do. I'm not just talking about being disciplined with my eating and exercise. I am talking about whatever it is that God has expected for me to do. I'll use food as an example, since disciplining myself in that area is what I'm committed to now. When I am eating sensibly, I don't worry about food, but I do enjoy it more. I don't really enjoy food much when I'm overeating or eating badly. I might enjoy the first bite or two, but I can enjoy that and not overeat. I HATE the way I feel when I've overeaten or eaten something that's bad for me. I hate mistrust that I feel for myself. When I am being thoughtful, planning my meals and eating healthy and sensibly and exercising, I feel free to enjoy other things more. Today I was rocking Conner after his morning bottle, and he was giving me little baby kisses, and I told myself that I had lots of things to do. But then, I said to myself, "No! He's not going to be little like this forever, I am going to enjoy rocking him for as long as we both want. I rocked him and sang to him, and he "sang" with me, and we really enjoyed ourselves. Then I bundled him up and took him on a four mile walk in his very sheltered stroller. We stopped at Starbucks and I had a cup of coffee, and Conner had a bottle. I talked to him and enjoyed him and I didn't care if people thought I was a little nuts talking to a four month old. People didn't. They stopped and talked to him too! (Conner's a babe magnet!) My point is, that it's much better to give up excuses for not submitting to God and just submit. I think I was a little "salty" today! Praise God, not me! :)