In the company of peanut butter cookies

Walking through the kitchen, the package of bakery cookies called out to me. No, they're for home church.

But when I passed through again, the cookies shouted my name. My empty stomach agreed. Just one, just one.

So, I ate two. (blush) The small sugar cookies hit the spot. But you know what was weird, the last bit of each cookie tasted a bit like... peanut butter.

I looked in the box. The row of sugar cookies ran along side a row of peanut butter. The edges touched just a little bit and the sugar cookies absorbed the peanut butter taste.

There's probably a scientific reason the sugar cookies took on the flavor of peanut butter. But I think it's because the sugar cookies are generic. They don't have a specific flavor or texturing. All the ingredients of sugar cookies are in the peanut butter cookies.

My poor sugar cookies represent a philosophy. "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."

Who we hang around with, what we behold with our eyes, what we open our heart to, and who and what we give our energy and time to shapes us.

We start out as sweet, innocent sugar cookies. Life experience makes us peanut butter, chocolate chip, or oatmeal raisin.

We form our "flavors," our beliefs, through our parents, teachers, friends, and believe it or not, our wounds. If we don't get healing for our hurts, and pain, we use them to guide us through life.

Imagine the guy with a pebble in his shoe walking along the road, telling you to follow him, but he can't walk a straight line for trying to ease the pain coming from his shoe?

We can't keep company with liars, cheaters, haters, haters of God, lovers of self and not be effected. Even as adults, we are molded and flavored by the people we keep company.

Funny though. The peanut butter cookies didn't taste like sugar cookies. The strong peanut butter flavor over powers.

I want to be a peanut butter cookie. Strong in who I am, able to influence rather than be influenced.

To be a voice and not an echo.

I want people to be around me and leave with the flavor and texture of God on their hearts. I want them to leave my company feeling hope and faith, wanting to run for their destiny in life rather than hide from it.

You know why I love a good book or movie with a happy ending? Because it makes me ask, "Yeah, why not me?"

I want people to leave my company and ask, "Hey, God, why not me."

What happens when people leave your company? What kind of "cookie" are you? Sugar or peanut butter?