Salt
Posted on 20. Feb, 2008 by abdrumm in Home & Family
April Monelo
My husband and I enjoy going out to breakfast on Friday mornings. As we ate our pancakes at a local breakfast diner a couple weeks ago, I couldn’t help but notice the older retired couple next to me. They were talking about how the pancakes had too much salt in them. We ended up striking up a conversation and enjoying their company for the rest of our meal. After that conversation, I got to thinking about salt. It is quite an interesting ingredient. It brings out the flavors in recipes, is a natural antiseptic, and is a preservative used for foods like jerky. Salt is also an electrolyte, which we all need to stay hydrated. Most people don’t want to eat food with too much or too little salt. And Jesus called us as believers “salt”. Matthew 5:13 says, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” Of all the ingredients to be likened to, we are likened one that has a lot of depth to it.
As the flavor of the earth, believers have an exciting task set before them. Yet, all too often, our flavor becomes less than desirable. Caught up in the hustle and bustle of the day, we lose sight of the prize. We lose sight of eternity. But this loss of flavor is the very thing that causes the bad taste in the mouths of the unsaved. There will always be enmity between believers and the world until Christ returns, but there are many that are truly searching for truth. The sad thing is that they don’t always find it when faced with a believer in Christ. Many times, they find nothing but empty promises, or, worse yet, not even a friendly face. This sad reality breaks the heart of the Father and should, in turn, break our hearts. What can we do to change this in our own lives?
Realizing that we are called to truly bring out the flavor in others is essential in our obedience as Christ -followers. We get tunnel vision sometimes, only aware of our own needs and desires. But, for me, if I get it in my head that being like Christ is being the one in the room that is loving on the people around me, I begin to understand a little more of what it means to be the salt of the earth. Our love should show in our actions, as 1 John 3:16-18 instructs us. If we aren’t acting love out to others, then where is our love Locked up in our hearts? Saved for a select few? Stuck in the kitchen, instead of in our cooking? If we don’t give ourselves for others, we may find at the end of our lives, that we never knew Christ (see Matthew 7:23). He will turn us away and say I never knew you. This is something that we don’t like to think about, but, truly, our lives reflect our hearts.
As we go about our days, let us remember to notice the faces of those around us. Let us be ready to stop and meet the physical needs of our neighbors, friends, and co-workers. If they do not know us to be different, then we need to change. The truly hurting people of Jesus time were attracted to Him. He was a sweet aroma to them. It is my prayer that the people in my life will see Jesus in me in a real way, not only because I talk about Him, but because their lives are richer because of Him in me.