CitySalt Salt Blog is a rich, deep tradition that goes back many years. Many writers have leaned in to hear God and shared their insights with you. Normally those posts are featured once for a short time in our newsletter and on our website and then seem to disappear into the mist. However a library of wisdom from our congregation and friends still exists and some of the those posts can be accessed by a search or a scroll on our website.
The following post is from our Salt and Light theme in 2019. As a reminder that we are salt and light in our city, thought we would rerun it today to give it a second wind. Enjoy!
I recently heard a pastor speak to the power of the Holy Spirit Wind, that goes before us and beckons us to join. He noted that when we are on Mission, pursuing God’s heart with an intent to bring His healing to a space of brokenness, we ought to be sensitive to the fact that Spirit’s Wind has already been where we are going. So when we arrive, bearing our offerings of service and hope, we can also be open to receiving what the Holy Spirit has already started. The people we set out to serve could very well provide healing and insights for us, birthed from the work the Holy Spirit was doing in them before we even got there.
This makes me wonder about our commission to be “salt” and “light” as we walk in this world. It seems that those callings are really about highlighting the goodness of what God is already doing. In the same way that salt can draw out the discreet flavors of a complex dish or light can reveal the treasures buried in the darkened corners, we can be instruments that God uses to pull back the veil and reveal His good works that are already at hand.
And how freeing it is, not to feel burdened with the task of creating the dish from scratch or questing for the treasure still lying at the bottom of the ocean. Rather, He graciously invites us to be part of enhancing His masterpiece, acknowledging his divine power at work, and inviting the Kingdom.
But partnering with His work in this way requires humility.
We have to be willing to set bias and tainted perspective aside—allowing ourselves to be students of the very circumstances we planned to remedy. It requires us to see those in need of help as our peers rather than our projects. We are invited to consider that the “mission field” that we are called to shine our light on (Matthew 5:16) is more than likely a field filled with treasured people whom God wants to use to challenge and grow our faith, as he simultaneously uses us to be his hands and feet of love.
Forgive me for quoting Bono in this context, but he speaks beautifully to the existence of God in the unlikely places:
“God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them.”
God is infinitely wise in creating human beings to need one another, in a beautiful way that reflects how we need Him. We must only be willing to see the way we need others and be open to His revelation of hidden flavors and treasures that He is working to uncover.
Romans 12:3-13
For by the grace given me I say to everyone one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
About the Author
Britni is a quiet but fearless spirit who is earnestly seeking the beauty of the redemption that Jesus has personally determined for her life. Committed to the truth that listening breeds understanding and understanding results in compassion, she clings to the power of life’s stories. She has embarked on the venture of discovering her own story and lending an ear to the stories lived out in others and savors the trace of Jesus that is woven throughout them all. Currently, that journey has landed her in a balancing act between the role of wife, momma, and a mental health Care Coordinator.