The Salt Shaker

What does it mean to be “salt of the earth”?

“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.” Matt 5:13

Here’s where I confess to you, once again, that I am not a theologian and can only provide an untrained lay-view of things.  I tend to enjoy a bit of salt with my food, and especially when its encrusted on the rim of a margarita glass. I think it enhances the primary flavor of the original item. Salt is one of the most popular spices in the world, and has been throughout history. I’m confident that its familiarity as a flavor enhancer is what Jesus was alluding to here. Christians enhance life in an otherwise sin-filled place. But what good are we to those in need if we fail to be of help – if we fail to give others that “enhancement”?

Deb and I have vacationed in the Caribbean a few times, and I’ve noticed that most containers of salt also had rice in them. The rice helps soak up the moisture so that the salt grains stayed dry and wouldn’t stick together. This allows the grains of salt to flow freely out of the shaker and onto your food. Yet, the salt is still a bit moist and sticky, and just doesn’t quite have the same”zip” as the salt here in the North.

Perhaps there truly is a similarity between sticky, soggy, flavorless salt, and Christians who have lost their “zip”.  Let me compare the two another way. I grab the salt shaker in Mexico, turn it upside-down, and begin to shake. If that salt isn’t dry and ready to go, I am not likely to get any flavor enhancement to fall on to my plate. How frustrating it must be if God sees His world (a plate full of food) that needs enhancing, grabs his salt shaker, and begins to shake but we (the salt) cling to the sides for fear of falling out or those of us who do fall out are flavorless.

I see our time with Jacob as God’s way of “shaking the salt” – so to speak. For instance, I’ve had a longing to write for quite a while and had been on the verge of starting a blog for a few years but hadn’t raised enough courage or found enough time to do so. Deb and I have also been heavily involved in our church lately, leading Bible studies and other groups; and we’ve found these things to be very rewarding. So, perhaps our experiences with Jacob were intended to foster this journal and to reach others in a different way. All this time I had been clinging to the side of the shaker – it just took a powerful “shake” to get me to make the move. (Some days, I think it wasn’t so much a simple shake as it was knocking the entire kitchen pantry over, but I digress).

My hope for all of us is that we realize the courage and strength given to us from God, and that we enhance the lives of those around us – even if it is in a small way. What good does it do if we sit around flavorless and stuck? When the time comes, and God calls us to action by shaking us, let’s respond.