How are we to be in this world? What does it mean to be “salt of the Earth”?
Acts 9:15
“But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."
When we think of salt-seasoning, we often think of cooking and getting the salt quantity correct. But being salt of the Earth doesn’t work quite the same.
Acts 9:3-4
“Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice…”
When God came to Saul, he appeared suddenly, unexpectedly. God told Saul:
Acts 9:6
“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
When Saul got up he didn’t find lighted arrows in front of him, leading his way with a map and a guide book in his hand. Instead “when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.” Acts 9:8
When you were baptized, did you come out of the water with clear instructions? Did God provide a recipe book or text book on how to be the perfectly balanced instrument? To have the perfect flavoring of salt-seasoning? I often find myself looking for that manual, forgetting that God is leading us, one step at a time and often blind. God is the chef, we are the salt.
In Acts 9:10-15, God calls to His disciple telling him to go and heal Saul, a man who has come to “arrest all that call on (God’s) name”. Would this make sense to any of us? Heal those who persecute you, help those who do you harm? Help those who do harm unto others? Yet this disciple went and healed Saul, both vessels of God’s work, moved by God’s guidance,
Acts 9:20
“At once he (Saul) began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.”
God is the chef, we are the salt.
Some days I feel lost, disconnected, but today I felt like “salt-seasoning” and it lit up my heart.
I aspire to be good, kind, courageous and a positive influence on those around me. While I have many failings, consistent realignment is where I am winning. I often surrender it all to the Lord; all I have and all my hopes and dreams. At the same time I give thanks for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me and all the blessings to come.
I want the Lord to be the architect of my life.
“I continue to be grateful and always aware that I am in charge of my faith and my perspective, but not my life.”
I wrote this in my last post and have carried it with me. I posted it in front of me at work. Today it adjusted my attitude and I found myself, without effort, more positive and hopeful. A coworker thanked me for my words and I realized I had brought peace to her heart in the midst of a chaotic moment. Because I was aligned with the Lord in my heart, He was able to use my calm and surrender to bless others around me. The perfect salt-seasoning to flavor their lives with His love and bring light to both of us. And the only direction I had was to let go and not be in control; blind faith.
I had been thinking and writing down different ways we can be salt today and the Lord laid out a very simple, yet effective and beautiful way to flavor the world: let His light shine through us.
Matthew 5:16
“You are to let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father . . ."
I’m far from a chemist, but metaphorically it makes sense as a writer and a creative that letting light shine through us can bring about the perfect balance of “salt” or flavoring in our words and actions. It makes sense as a lover of metaphor, that likewise, the perfect balance of “salt” sprinkled in our daily lives can make His light shine all around; a cycle I welcome in my life!
Ideally, we hold a beautiful balance of strong faith (be the salt) and amazing wonder (shine His light); an experience to both strive for and consistently come back to.
We are not here to design our own destiny and determine our own “work” and so I will continue to surrender and give thanks that God is in control if we choose to let Him.
“I continue to be grateful and aware that I am in control of my perspective and my faith, but not my life.”
Lord, let me be your salt seasoning. I surrender and open my heart to your light.
About the Author
Leona is a wife, mother and traveler who is intrigued by how different people live. Her latest project is exploring ways that different walks of life can simplify, in order to live a fulfilling journey.