Mentoring Woman: CALL ME WHAT YOU WILL!

I have a habit of giving my kids and grandchildren nicknames. I don't know why, other than the fact that I was called a nickname by my grandpa and dad. Grandpa always called me "Betsy" even though my name was Becky and dad called me "Sears", I suppose after Sears and Roebuck (get it??? Roebuck and Rebecca...yeah, me either). Anyway, now that I am older, I recall those names with great affection.

Do the names Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah sound familiar from the Bible? How about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? They are one and the same people! When the Jewish nation was taken into Babylon, these men were taken into the kings court. In Daniel 1:4-5 it says of them: "young men without any physical defect, handsome showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He (Ashpenaz, chief of the court officials) was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service."

Something struck me about this whole scenario, the king and those serving him, thought by changing these men's names and training them for three years, they would better fit into the culture. But because of these men's strong beliefs, their hearts remained the same. We remember the story from scripture that Daniel and these three men chose not to defile themselves with the royal food and wine and when the ultimate challenge came of bowing down and worshiping the king, their refusal led them to be cast into a fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:16-30) Because of their refusal to go along with the culture, God chose to use them in a mighty way.

I am sure you see where my mentoring challenge is going today. As women, we need to give prayerful consideration to our boundaries with today's culture, not only for ourselves, but for our children. Some things we can let slide (like perhaps a name change) but some things God may be calling us to take a stand on. This looks different for each one of us but basing our decisions on the word of God remains the stable force in our decision making. May God use each one of us to change and influence this world for His glory!

I'm posting a go-to recipe for a simple salad dressing that my mom always made at home. Some might call it French Dressing or Catalina (not sure of the difference). "Call it what you will", when the boys were growing up, if I didn't have the time to go to the grocery, this was the dressing I made since I always seemed to have the ingredients on hand. You would think it would be super sweet, but the vinegar gives it a tartness and adds a little punch to the sweetness of it. You could also add garlic powder if you wanted to add another flavor.

FRENCH OR CATALINA DRESSING