Lotion Journeys

I've been trying to learn how to make a good lotion without all of those nasty parabens (harmful preservative found in most lotions we buy). I was told by a pro that it took her around 40 tries...hmmm...this may take awhile.

Yesterday, I turned on some Christmas music & instead of baking cookies, tried to make some Christmas lotion...the process went so smooth that I excitedly called Amy about my amazing luck. The consistency was thin, but hey, it'd be great for summer & used as body lotion.

Unfortunately something went wacky with my scent...when I came home in the evening and asked Mark & Dono what they thought the lotion smelled like, they said, "stinky socks" It's hard to let go of a whole batch gone bad.

The "stinky feet" lotion

Surrendering to our Truth Worth

The other day this line entered my brain circuit:

“Surrender to your True Worth already!” (yet, once)

So many of us succumb to common thought processes where we judge ourselves to be better or worse than others. We find ourselves doing this with people or situations where we feel uncomfortable or insecure. Perhaps it’s at a social gathering, at the mall, with our families, or in class. When I think of my own battles and voice them, they sound so superficial: Am I less of a person because somebody dresses more stylish than me? Am I more valuable because I know more theology than the person sitting next to me? If so-and-so has more friends than me, does that make me less loveable/valuable? If I’m helping more people than you are, does it mean I’m more likeable?

Often I have had to work on, talk about, and pray about such. However, sometimes I think it can be as “simple” as a matter of surrender. As simple as saying “no” to the drama of it all. I was gifted and surprised by this the other day as I uttered a sacred word of surrender when I was tempted to succumb to this common struggle. Very refreshing!