Salty, Soothing, Moldable Stuff

Oh No! I Left the Bag Opened!

                My resourceful 93-year-old mother clipped, from the Ponca City News in 2007, a recipe to make homemade play dough. So when I made a batch a few months ago, I had her to thank. Following one of our studies on God’s creation, the Wednesday night kids Bible study group enjoyed molding replicas of things God made.

                A few days later, I pulled some items from my teaching bag only to discover the bag containing the homemade play dough unsealed. In my rush to clean up, I hadn’t closed one of the bags. To my surprise, the homemade modeling dough wasn’t in bad shape. I realized that was because of the ingredients in the homemade play dough, such as salt and oil.

                As I kneaded the play dough to deal with the few, tiny crystals of salt and in turn, make it usable for creating, the scripture came to mind from Matthew 5:13 –

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?

It is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

               Jesus indicates our faithful living, by the power of His indwelling spirit, provides seasoned preservation in society, in our families, in our worship in our church, in our communities and at our workplaces. Jesus is also recorded in the gospel of Mark, in chapter 9, verse 50 as stating,

Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?

Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.

                 Then I thought What kept the homemade play dough from hardening, being rendered unmoldable? It was the oil primarily. The oil kept the three-month-old homemade play dough pliable and usable. 
                  I recalled multiple times when oil was used to anoint a specific person in the Old Testament. This anointing with oil signified the Spirit of the Lord empowering the individual for leadership such as a king, priest, or prophet. Then Jesus, just before his crucifixion, promised to send His followers the Holy Spirit "...when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;..." (John 16:13) The Holy Spirit enables the believer to be usable and moldable in the hands of God. 
                 But back to the role of the salt.....The salt's preservative qualities drew water from the play dough to preserve it. This drying action reduced greatly the chance of mold or bacteria thriving since the lack of moisture made growth unlikely.

                Elisha, the Old Testament prophet, was approached by a new city’s developers praising its location but seeking his help for the bad water—so bad that the ground was barren. Elisha requested a bowl of salt and cast it into the water source. He said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘I have healed this water…’”

                Many DIY hacks can be found online using salt as the main ingredient in a cleaner for various tasks. Salt is considered a purifier or cleanser.

                With these thoughts bouncing around in my head, I began to question Lord, what is this preserved play dough in an unsealed bag teaching me? Here are some take-away questions.

1.       Is my life “savory” and “well-seasoned” prompting thirst for Jesus, the Water of Life?

2.       Do my thoughts, words, and actions preserve peace in my family, neighborhood, church, workplace, state, and nation? Or do I add to the pervading putrid decay in our world?

3.       No matter where I enter, whether it be a family gathering. a social media discussion or a controversial meeting, does my presence bring a purifying aspect to the setting, de-escalating it, and resulting in a climate of peace, yet not compromising my Bible-centered world view?

4.       Am I spending quality time with the Lord daily to keep my “savor” and avoid losing my “flavor” and becoming “good for nothing"?

Salty, homemade play dough can not only relieve stress and be used to create fun stuff, but its prominent ingredient illustrates the power of allowing the Holy Spirit of God to work through us.

The kids created a sun, flowers, a giraffe, and 

other detailed sculptures with this homemade

play dough. ( I used yellow food coloring 
since we had more of it than any other color!)

This bag left opened inspired my thoughts about

our saltiness as believers.

 Play Dough Recipe (as it appeared in the Ponca City News on January 21, 2007)

1/2 cup salt
1    cup all-purpose flour
1    tablespoon cream of tartar
1    tablespoon vegetable oil
1    cup water
      liquid food coloring

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except the food coloring. Stir until well-mixed, then add food coloring a few drops at a time until desired color is reached. The mixture will start out soupy.
Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the mixture begins to clump, dry and gets difficult to move the spoon through, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the dough to a dry work surface.
When the dough has cooled to the touch, knead until smooth and cool. To store, refrigerate the dough in plastic bags. 
Makes about 2 cups of dough.