Please pass the salt

I remember when my Grampa was alive and he had to be on a salt-free diet. You realize very quickly how tasty salt really is when it's gone. Salt-free spagetti sauce is a one plate-ful wonder! You choke it down and pray for a better tasting dessert. Now good seasoned spagetti sauce as my brother Jamie will tell you, "tastes like a more!" For the record, my wife makes the best sause on the whole planet! You see, it doesn't take much salt to enhance the flavor, but no salt kills a good meal.

Well, Paul tells us in his letter to the Colossian church to "let your conversation be always full of grace , seasoned with salt." [Col. 4:6] Why? Well if you don't, much like a bad meal, your conversation and "attitude" can leave a bad aftertaste. Ultimately it ends up driving people away from the cross and redemptive work of Christ. Salt makes things "taste like a more". A self-rightous, super pious attitude that is at the outset rude and mean leaves no room for the grace of God to be seen. Eugene Cho, a pastor I follow on Twitter put it this way: preach the gospel, but you don't have to be a jerk about it!

We lose more opportunitites because of our attitudes going into a conversation. We go in unseasoned and ready for a fight. Jesus did not do such things! Unless it was directed at the rulers of the religious establishment! I feel sorry for those of us who are Christians who feel the need to go in with guns blazing because the cause of Christ must be championed. Meek is what Jesus was, and that is what we should be. Meekness is power under control. There were so many things Jesus could have done because it was in his power to do so, but he didn't. Peter tells us clearly that Jesus left us the example to follow. "This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so that you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step by step. He never did one thing wrong, not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right." [1 Peter 2:21-23 the MSG]

When we do speak, we should be gracious and kind in the hopes of bringing out the best in others within the conversation. If that doesn't happen then just like Jesus, silence is the order of the day. My version is this: If we don't have enough salt to make good sauce: shut-up. Anything beyond that and we're just being jerks*.

*For the record, I am the biggest jerk I know and therefore feel quite qualified to speak on such things. God bless you today.