Stay Salty
I know what you’re thinking. “Why would I want to stay salty? That is not a good quality to have or to be known for.” And yes, that is true, but the kind of saltiness I’m talking about is not the same kind of saltiness that first comes to mind. I’m not talking about the “throwing shade” kind of salty or the “wow, that was a rude comment” kind of salty. I’m talking about the Matthew 5:13 kind of salty.
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless” (NLT).
To explain it best, this kind of saltiness is like a plate of pasta. Kinda silly, I know, but hear me out. If we really think about it, a plate of plain noodles isn’t good without the sauces and the spices, right? Plain noodles don’t really taste like anything. There’s something missing, and something flavorful needs to be added in order for it to taste good. That’s what Jesus is talking about here. Without His Word and His Spirit in our hearts, we’re always going to feel like something is missing. These things give us meaning and power in our lives. Without God, what even is the meaning of life? If we don’t have God present in our lives, our lives are kind of like old, plain noodles that have been left in the fridge just to be thrown away later. He Alone adds the flavor to our lives that we already don’t deserve.
Because of that saltiness, aka our faith in Christ, we do good deeds. The passage goes on to say this:
“You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father” (NLT).
This part is powerful. Because we have God present in our lives, we have the power to shine His light to the rest of the world. Jesus is saying here that we can’t be a Christian without sharing His Word to others, because that’s kind of the whole point of being a follower of Christ! But we have to be careful that we don’t do good deeds for the benefit of ourselves. We have to recognize the difference between living for ourselves versus living for the Light. Our good deeds are to show the love of Christ so it may impact others to do the same and come to know Him. That goal is not fulfilled when we do things to grab others’ attention or to show how good we are. Are we living for ourselves? Are we living for others? Are we living for God?
If you are someone who is afraid or hesitant to go all the way down the path of Christianity because of the commitment or the fear to share about it with others, I want to encourage you. I know how you feel because I’ve been there. If you would have told me I would be doing this blog a few years ago, I would have thought that was absolutely crazy. But just know that God brought you to this earth to do this very thing that you might be afraid of. So you were literally born to do this! God may not feel very present right now, but trust me, if you seek Him out by reading His Word or praying for guidance, He will reveal Himself to you, and you will know when He does. Trust me! God is a loving God, so He gives us the freedom to do whatever we want and to choose if we want to know Him or not, and He knows your heart. There’s no harm in trying, and I think you might be surprised by what happens if you do.
I say all of this with love. Even when this particular season may be harder than others, stay salty! Be a light for Jesus! It will all be so rewarding in the end.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or any other reason you may have. I’m down for any kind of conversation and would love to hear from you! xo.