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A Tale of Two Souls.

Melissa Beene Ford/ Uncategorized

I’ve been pondering lately the subject of my own salvation.

I know, I know, you probably came to my blog all excited, hoping to find an update on the slug situation, or to see if we had had any more Barbie mishaps or maybe you REALLY wanted to know some news about boogers, so I apologize if this is a little deeper than what you were expecting so bear with me.

Since I have no camera, it sort of puts a damper on the blogging, and since I have no television, I have nothing better to do but think deep thoughts, read, and spend quality time with my children, not necessarily in that order.

I was saved at age 14 at church camp. Up until that point I had lived a pretty innocent life, compared to some other Middle-School-aged girls. I never drank alcohol, never snuck out of the house or smoked cigarettes or anything wild and crazy like that. I spent most of my time at home, living a pretty harmless and boring existence.

So I don’t have a dramatic salvation story. I used to wish for one of those…..an attention-grabbing, tear-jerking salvation story…you know the type. But though that isn’t my story, the pit I was in was just as deep and dark and nasty, though I may not have realized it at the time; I did however know depression and despair and hopelessness that I thought was the normal way of life for me as a middle school misfit.

But somehow….at church camp…..Jesus became real to me and I realized that I had never, up until that point, believed. I asked Jesus into my heart and at that point all my sins, past and present and future, were washed away.

I recently pondered where I would have been had I not been saved, and I had a daydream (or vision?) of myself living a totally different life from the life I live now; its not fancy but I know that I know that I KNOW that the Lord has had His hand upon me, has made my paths straight, and I have had the protection and deliverance from evil that comes from being sealed with the Holy Spirit.

In my daydream, the details were so vivid and so realistic that I saw myself living a life totally driven by my need for acceptance and attention and the need to be ’needed’…the same motives that drive a lot of people into making some really harmful and unwise choices that have life-long consequences for everyone around them for generations to come, not to mention ending with an eternity burning in hell forever ….. I won’t go into the details of what I ‘saw.’ I just know, in my heart, that the Lord saved me from what might have been had my paths not been made straighter. It made me so thankful that God was gracious to me and made me (ME! a middle school loser!) an HEIR though I had absolutely nothing to offer but my bad hair, brace face, and last-chair flute in the Moore Middle School band.

It occurred to me that a lot of people think they don’t need a Savior, because they live a life that is pretty much harmless and boring. They haven’t committed the quote “big” sins…haven’t killed anyone, haven’t robbed a bank, etc.

(You know that’s the answer a lot of people give when you ask if they’re going to Heaven when they die…..”Yes, because I haven’t killed anyone. I’ve also been kind to animals.” And they don’t realize that couldn’t possibly be enough.)

I just wonder if those people who think their past is unblemished for the most part…..have they considered their future? Have they considered that at some point, though they may never rob a bank or kill anyone, that they might be in a position of loneliness and despair or desperation that might lead them to make some really harmful and unwise choices that have life-long consequences for everyone around them for generations to come (not to mention the eternity in hell)?

Because you know…..Jesus will save you, not just from your past, but from your future, too. He can make your paths straight and protect you from the evil one here on earth, and as a bonus, give you an eternal home in Heaven when you die.

Just something to ponder…

(Need to know how to make peace with God for yourself? Click here.)

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Comments

  1. ModernJune31 says

    July 30, 2009 at 7:11 am

    So, so rich. I love that perspective of God saving us not only from our past, but our future. You are so right. <br />I&#39;m coming back tomorrow to read this again, when I&#39;m not so tired from a long, hot day in Washington. = )

    Reply
  2. Lianne says

    July 30, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    Amen! Like you, I don&#39;t have a dramatic story of how God changed me since I was saved at age 9, but I do know that He&#39;s been with me every step of my journey. I like how you said that we are &quot;sealed by the Holy Spirit.&quot; I don&#39;t think about that enough and what that means to me. <br /><br />Great post!

    Reply
  3. Mandy says

    July 30, 2009 at 4:02 pm

    Wonderful post, as always! It&#39;s a great thing to think about your salvation and remember all He did to make you an heir and child of God. Thanks for making me take time to reflect on all He&#39;s done for me.

    Reply
  4. suzannah says

    July 30, 2009 at 7:38 pm

    God is so gracious. my family lives at the christian summer camp i went to as a child, and it&#39;s so cool to see God at work, transforming generations.<br /><br />so glad you stopped by my blog. good to meet another Jesus loving, farm house dweller:)

    Reply
  5. Sally says

    July 31, 2009 at 5:58 pm

    Amen. Wonderful post. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Shanequa says

    August 3, 2009 at 2:11 am

    You and I have a lot in common. (Saved at an early age, etc.) Great post! You never know what seeds have been planted in this post.

    Reply

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About Me


Hey there... I'm Melissa! Texas girl. Mom to three + one goldendoodle. Believer. Old house fanatic. Creating a happy + healthy home with purpose is my passion. I'm so glad you're here!

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I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 years of paint off of this door down to the wood and start over… but that person has no business starting new projects. 😅 My neighbors must have thought this project would never end. *I* thought this project would never end. 😰 If you’re thinking of doing this yourself? Just don’t, ok? Throw the whole door away and buy a new one. 😂🤣 Just kidding.  Old house weirdos like me… we can’t just do things the easy way. Anyhoo… after some trial and error, @sherwinwilliams Celestial is what I landed on, and I have to say… I like it. Periwinkle-ish blue looks great with the yellow house and will look even better when the azaleas are in bloom. Was it all worth it? That’s not important right now. 🤭 Will I do this all again in two years? The magic eight ball says… without a doubt. 👏🏻 I’ve already picked the next color. #gluttonforpunishment #somefoolsneverlearn #oldhouselove #oldhomelove #makinghome #southernliving #gardenandgun #azaleadistrict #tylertx
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2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrollin 2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrolling through my pics from the last twelve months made me realize how blessed and content I am. Prosperity, love, and peace have been ours in abundance, in spite of the pain of losing my dad. The second picture is the last picture of him… the last time I saw him. 💔 But God has been good to my family this year and 2022 is ending far better than it began. 😄 #2022inreview #thanksforthememories
Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍ Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍♀️
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That’s it. That’s the tour. (Slide two). 
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It’s a new trend I’m starting: bare Christmas tree. Lowe’s tag still attached (so quirky and unexpected)! Christmas ornaments still in boxes. Coming soon to an Anthropologie window display near you. 
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Every year I think, “next year I’ll do better. Next year I’ll have it together.” And then, here we are on the SIXTH Christmas that we’ve been in this house, the sixth Christmas I’ve dragged our chaotic bunch of Christmas mess out of a chaotic garage I still haven’t unpacked from our move six years ago. 
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Maybe this year is the year I’ll organize it all and put it back neatly so that by Christmas number 7, it will be smooth sailing. People will flock to my social media to see how I’ve pulled everything off SO PERFECTLY. Next year will be my year. 
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Seems every year there’s less and less bandwidth for all these things. There’s more grief and stress, less money. More demands, less grace. 
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I put this sign on the wall in my office so I could keep it in front of my eyes: Love. Joy. Peace. And all that. I am SO unlike Jesus most days. So lacking in all of these character qualities. And that’s WITH waking up most mornings and spending my first 30 minutes with God Himself. 
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How lost would I be without that? Geez. I can’t fathom. I REQUIRE being transformed by renewing my mind every single morning, and even then, responding to people and life with love, joy, peace and patience doesn’t come naturally. 
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It’s the goal, though. 
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This weary world needs that from us Believers during this season, more than ever… even more than an Anthropologie-window-display worthy Christmas home tour. 
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I’m working on both.
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