Mona pushed her glasses up her nose and stared at the computer screen. Everything was so depressing since Scott left her. She clicked through her spreadsheet. This used to be a good job. But now she couldn’t wait to get home. She glanced at her watch. Four thirty. If her boss’s office door was closed, she might be able to sneak out early. She locked her computer and headed toward the ladies’ room.
As she made her way down the hallway, she passed the cubes of two of her coworkers. She froze when she heard her name.
Joan’s voice carried over the cubicle wall. “I’m a little worried about Mona.”
“What do you mean?” Amy asked.
“She’s not the same as she used to be. She used to spread such sunshine around this place. I always felt encouraged with her around. She’d smile and tell me I was doing a great job. She worked so hard, and I looked to her as an example. Sometimes she’d even tell me she was praying for me. But lately, she’s kept to herself. I wanted to talk to her about something the other day, but she left early.”
Mona, stood, motionless, taking in Joan’s words, when Amy replied. “Wow. That’s crazy. She never leaves early, even when everyone else does. You’re right. That isn’t like her. I heard Jason say she broke up with her boyfriend, so she’s probably having a tough time getting over him.”
“I’m sure that’s what it is. I feel bad for her. I guess it’s selfish of me to think about how she affects me when she’s going through a rough time. Anyway, it’s getting late. I have to finish this report before I can go home. Maybe I’ll try to connect with Mona tomorrow and see if there’s anything I can do for her. Selfish or not, I can’t help being a little disappointed.”
“I know what you mean. Mona always made me feel good, too.”
Mona hurried down the hall to the ladies’ room and shut the door behind her. Her emotions swirled. It was great to know she had a positive effect on her coworkers, but she was disappointing them now. How had she allowed this breakup to affect her so deeply? She and Scott had only been dating for six months. She needed to pray about this. But for now, she’d better get back to work. If her coworkers were noticing she was ducking out early, surely her boss was, too, and she needed this job. She finished in the ladies’ room and went back to her desk, determined to complete her tasks, even if she had to stay a little late today.
After work, she stopped for gas and, on impulse, picked up a soft pretzel. She’d have a few bites to tide her over while she made dinner.
Back at her apartment, she bit into the soft pretzel, but something was off. It was soft and filling, but there was no taste of salt. Without it, the pretzel was bland. She picked a piece of salt off the pretzel and put it on her tongue, but it wasn’t salty. That made no sense. She grabbed her phone and asked about the salt on the soft pretzels from the convenience store. A moment later, she had her answer. Apparently, the convenience store coated the salt so it wouldn’t dissolve into the pretzel and it would stay fresher longer.
Mona tossed the pretzel onto the kitchen counter. What good was coating the salt if you couldn’t taste it? That made it worthless.
Wait. Wasn’t there a Bible verse about that? Mona sank into one of her kitchen chairs and looked it up. Sure enough, there it was. Suddenly Joan’s words filled her mind.
“Mona used to spread such sunshine around this place.”
She’d lost her saltiness. How had she let herself come to this place? She used to care so much about spreading her light to her coworkers, and now all she did was feel sorry for herself, just because Scott broke up with her. Scott didn’t determine her worth. She was a child of God, and that made her worthy. And as a child of God, she wanted to share His light. Starting tomorrow, she’d get back to her normal self at work. Breakup or not, she had so much to be grateful for, starting with the blessing of being able to share God’s love.
Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
God, help us always to remember our worth is found in You. Help us to remember all the wonderful things you’ve done for us, even when times are difficult. You tell us to always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within us, but why should anyone ask us about our hope if we don’t look any different from the rest of the world? We should be different because we have You in our lives. We won’t be happy all the time, but we do have an inner joy, an inner strength, and an inner peace, all because You live in our hearts. Please remind us we are special because You love us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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