The dinner table of my youth was loud and crowded. The seven of us, five children and two parents, gathered each night in a kitchen built for four. There we prayed, ate, reviewed our day, fought, snuck the dogs our brussel sprouts, and talked over each other in rude manner. Mother tried to make it a civilized place, even insisting on occassion that we listen to Lester Roloff's "family altar" tapes together while we dined. Chaos managed to prevail.
My sister Kary had my attention most of the time. She was older than me and beautiful. She always wore the latest hair style and fashion. She had an outgoing, strong personality and she was captivating. I snuck into her room when she wasn't home and tried on her clothes and shoes, pretending to be her. I watched her all the time, noticing the small things, like the way her hands moved when she talked and the way she grimaced her face when she was angry. Even at the dinner table she held my focus.
Mother would arrange the food in the middle of the table. We 'd all bow our heads and close our eyes as Daddy, who was the usual orator, would converse with God on our behalf - often becoming so engrossed in his prayer that he forgot to say anything at all about the food. After the "amen" the race for food was on. Hands would jut out furiously from every direction as five hungry children tried to be first to get their plates filled.
Every day I watched as Kary filled her plate and reached for the salt, shaking it liberally over all her food like a sacred ritual. I never saw her sample the food first. However salty a dish may have been, from her perspective it would still need more salt. She held the shaker daintily, almost parallel to the plate and fixed her gaze on the food as the salt fell. She did not rush. When she was sure it was well seasoned she began to eat and join in the conversations.
Kary never had a sweet tooth. Whereas I craved strawberry shortcakes and Blue Bell ice cream, she wanted popcorn and potato chips. We've laughed about it as adults, wondering if she may have some sort of medical problem that induces salt cravings. No one else in the family is nearly as salt obsessed.
I think about Kary when I read Matthew 5:13-16:
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (NIV).
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (NIV).
Jesus said this to conclude His teaching on the Beatitudes; the list of characteristics describing the people belonging to God's Kingdom. Those attributes include: humility, gentleness, mercy, peacemaking, a longing for personal and corporate righteousness, mourning over unrighteousness, a heart that is not greedy or materialist but longs for God, a stubborn goodness that will not relent under pressure from peers or government - someone willing to be persecuted rather than do wrong (Matthew 5:3-12).
These characteristics are the salt of heaven, emptied out of God's shaker into the world. They bring the flavor of God into a tasteless environment. They act as a preservative that kills bacteria by not allowing it the resources to grow. In proper amounts they kill weeds and clean stains. Salt is powerful and effective, simply by virtue of having the characteristics of salt.
Jesus said that the children of the Kingdom are, in a spiritual sense, salt. In doing so He educates us as to our purpose and identity, lest we get confused. He also sets the expectation of heaven that the salt of heaven retain its usefulness by being salty.
Salt stands out against any background that is not salt. Salt is distinct and not easily confused with other seasonings and tastes. One does not use salt interchangably with other additives, because salt makes a serious impact.
When it comes to cravings God is like my sister. We may imagine Him to have a sweet tooth, but in fact He craves salt. Like Kary eying her plate of food, He looks down at the world and knows that it is not salty enough for His taste. So He brings children born of His spirit into the world and sprinkles them over the landscape in order to make a change. Our presence is suppose to be noticable, active, evident, useful...or else we've become salt that has lost its saltiness. Of what use is salt-less salt? What a frustration and disappointment! Imagine picking up a shaker of salt and salting your eggs only to realize upon first bite that they are still bland.
The world is full of bland tastes and aggressive bacteria. Humility, gentleness, mercy, righteousness, mourning for unrighteousness, purity, and peacemaking stand out against the background. Jesus instructed His followers not to concern themselves with the things the world is concerned with; but to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Translation; more salt, please.
In order for Chistians to live up to the label, we must commit ourselves to the characteristics of the Kingdom and embrace that those characteristics will make us stand out, not blend in. Of course, we needn't go out of our way to stand out, nor should we avoid blending in. Rather, we just need to be salt. Everything else will follow naturally.
