I’m a southern girl and, as such, have my priorities rightly placed.
God. Family. Sweet tea.
However, one recent morning found me unimpressed with the empty status of my sugar bowl.
There’s no “sweet” in tea without sugar, and—any good southerner knows that the “tea” without the “sweet” is – so very unfortunate.
Enter my ten pound bag of sugar. (God bless Costco).
Like sand in a beach pail, tiny grains of sugar softly collect, filling the canister.
As these shiny, white grains tumble into pillowy sugar dunes within my canister – I notice it.
An invisible dusting of sweetness permeates the air.
An unexpected taste of confection on my lips.
Unseen, yet evident.
As the air around me held this loveliness, I considered how I long to be like this unassuming sack of sugar.
Poured out.
Not a trace of myself lingering in the spaces of this life, only a pervasive essence of sweetness—of grace, gentleness, love.
Quiet, airborne beauty, rooted in the unseen, but carried…evidenced by grace.
Just as this obscure, candied dust fell on my lips that morning—I want a life that scatters sprinklings of softness that fall on hearts. 
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Amen? You too?
As house-ers of the Living Spirit, isn’t this our heart’s cry?
Temples we are.
May our hospitality extend first to Him as we sow grace into every corner of our beings. 
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Oh Brenda, thank you for the reminder of how we are His temple…He dwells within us. God’s goodness is ever present and we are to pass along the kindness of a His heart. Sweet tea, yes…takes me back to a more simple time of life. Your words make me long to come to your front porch, sit with sweet tea in hand, and chat about life. Thank you, friend. ❤️
My porch and I would love to have you visit, Michele. 🙂 ((hug))
Love your illustration! That absolutely is my prayer! Thank You!
Naomi Fata recently posted…Learn to Overcome Depression, Despair and Anxiety with God’s Armor
Thanks for being here, Naomi. ((hug))
This is beautiful. Yes, I want my life to pour out God’s sweetness and grace like that too!
Lesley recently posted…Lights Of Hope
Me too, Lesley. Thanks for sharing. ((hug))
Oh, Brenda! I so get your illustration! I can taste it even. And I long for my life to make the sweetness of God’s love palpable in the lives of others. Just don’t put that stuff in my tea! LOL!!!!
Liz recently posted…Word Nerd Wednesday – Temple
Haha. I hear ya. We only put a cup for a gallon, so it’s not so bad at my house. We lived in the midwest for a decade, and I learned to drink it unsweet as well. Wouldn’t purposely order it that way now that I’m back in the south though. 😀 Thanks for being here, Liz. ((hug))
Brenda,
Yay for southern gals and sweet tea! I love the analogy here with the airborne sweetness of unseen grace. On heavy duty pain meds and anti nausea medicine, but just wantted to stop in and say HI.
Love,
Bev xoxo
Bev @ Walking Well With God recently posted…A Revealing New View Of Mary & Martha
So glad your surgery went well, Bev. Continued prayers for a comfortable, quick recovery. Will visit as soon as you’re up for it. ((hug))
Right there with you – no morning coffee just ice tea please – year round 🙂 also love ur illustration of being poured out with only Him filling us is perfect.
You too? Yay. 🙂 I wish I could develop a taste for coffee, but just never have. I wrote this a little while back though. Nowadays I drink lots and lots of water. I make myself drink at least four of my 22 oz. cups of ice-water before I allow myself tea. Otherwise I would (and did) drink tea all day long. 🙂 Thanks for being here, Paris. ((hug))
My Goodness, Brenda! This is The Parable of the Sweet Tea! If Jesus had walked the red clay of the U.S. Southeastern States, I know He would have come up with the same metaphor!
Michele Morin recently posted…Attending to the Details of Congruence
Michele! That would’ve been a perfect title for this! Why didn’t I think of that? Shoulda asked you. Love it. 🙂 ((hug))
…a life that scatters sprinklings of softness that fall on hearts…YES, sign me up Brenda! Such beautiful imagery. LOVE! xoxo
Alright Nicki, I caught the sign-up sheet when it was going around and signed us both up. 🙂 Thanks for your sweet encouragement today. ((hug))
Grace, gentleness, and love was NOT permeating from my lips this AM, even as I was sharing a verse on kindness with my kids. Oh, how I needed this visual reminder of pouring out His grace and sweetness and not my stuff on all those around me. Thanks as always for your generosity and kind words with all of us, Brenda!
(( Jill )) Don’t ya hate it when we have days like that? Life is hard some days. Give yourself grace, my friend. Thanks so much for always being such an encouragement to me. ((hug))
And it is in the pouring out that we create space to be filled by HIM!
Yes! Amen. 🙂 Thanks for being here, Tyra. ((hug))
I love your sweet analogy! (See what I did there?) I think you are like that. 🙂
KellyRBaker recently posted…Annoying People and the Holy Bathroom
I do see what you did there, Kelly. Haha. 🙂 — And goodness, thank you for your sweet words. They bless my heart. ((hug))
Wow, what a sweet encouragement… A simple thought, but YES! Isn’t this what we all long to leave behind??
Indeed, Casey — love your words of leaving behind sweet grace when around others. Thanks for being here, Casey. ((hug))
What a beautiful heart cry! I love the imagery of being poured out. Sometimes we’re so busy trying to fill up with life stuff, we forget about pouring out for God. <3
I hear ya…guilty on the busy-being-filled-up-with-life-stuff front. sigh. Thankful that the Spirit cries within reminding us — calling us — to more. Thanks for sharing, Becky. ((hug))
Brenda, what an absolutely lovely post this day! I will look forward to smelling the fragrance of that air-propelled sweetness next time I bake. I must admit that I believe I have missed that in all my years of baking. I am too busy in the doing and not in the slowly attending to each step. I am a black unsweet tea drinker even though I live in Texas. I am a Navy kid and was born and raised everywhere but the South. My parents were from states not of the South either so that sweet tea has never been in my blood! BUT the sweetness of Jesus Christ is and I want to exude Him wherever I go and am! You have truly blessed me through these beautiful words.
Another TX gal who doesn’t drink sweet tea. Y’all should form a support group. haha. 🙂 — Linda, love your words that Jesus is in your blood. What a rich statement. Thank you for your sweet encouragement today, friend. ((hug))
Brenda- I love sugar and with tea it’s divine:)
I want to ooze Jesus out in every situation.
Blessings friend!
Julie recently posted…4 Ways to Grow in Faith When You Embrace your Body
“Ooze Jesus out in every situation.” What a fun statement. Thanks for being here, Julie. ((hug))
What a *sweet* metaphor! 🙂
🙂 Thanks for being here, Kelli. So glad to meet you. ((hug))
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!
Back at ya, Lisa. ((hug))
Me too! “I want a life that scatters sprinklings of softness that fall on hearts.” My prayer is Lord, please show me how to do this every single day of my life.
Maree Dee recently posted…Did God Choose The Wrong Mom?
Sweet prayer, Maree. I’ll “amen” to that. ((hug))
I love your analogy, Brenda!
And I took your words from “poured out” to your tweet and prayed them back to God. Yes, that’s how I want to be, poured out and filled to overflowing with the sweetness of His Spirit.
Amen, and thanks! You are a dear sister. ((XOXO))
“Filled to overflowing.” May it ever be so, Lord. Thank you for your sweet encouragement, Ruth. ((xoxo))
Hello, beautiful temples of God.
Belated Happy Mother’s Day to all!
Lux G. recently posted…The Beauty Of Sipalay
Back at ya, Lux. Hope your day was sweet (and you ate lots of that yummy cake.) 🙂