Are You Flavor or Bland? Living as Salt and Light in a Tasteless World
Have you ever tried popcorn without salt? Or turned on a light only to find it’s too dim to see anything? In our world today, we have plenty of “finches” but not enough “hooves” – plenty of people who don’t understand the true meaning of Christmas or what it means to be a Christian. There are countless individuals running after more stuff, more happiness, more comfort – but very few who truly stand out as different.
The Call to Be Different
After Jesus laid out the Beatitudes – His description of what a Christian should look like – He immediately tells us something profound in Matthew 5:13-16. He says, “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.”
Look at yourself and say, “I’m the salt. I’m the one that’s supposed to bring flavor into this world.”
It’s amazing what a little salt does to popcorn, isn’t it? If you get popcorn with no salt, why even eat it? There’s no purpose! I love a little salt on my watermelon too – it brings out the flavor and adds something special. In the same way, you and I are called to bring something special to the table. We’re supposed to be different than the rest of the world.
Adding Flavor to a Bland World
I like this idea that my purpose on earth is to add flavor – not my own flavor, but His flavor. I can have a great personality (which I don’t), but that can only go so far. What the world needs is the salt of Jesus Christ. They need the joy of the season. They need to understand the cross and what was done at that moment.
When people look at me, they should see hope. They should think, “There’s something different about him.”
So my question for you is: Are you salt? When you walk into a room, your workplace, your school – do you add something special, or are you just like everybody else? Salt that has lost its saltiness?
Shining Light in the Darkness
Jesus continues in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. I’m not going to hide it under a bushel!
He says the light “gives light to all in the house” – ALL in the house. Those are important words. We are to let the brightness of Jesus Christ, the light of hope, joy, peace, and patience shine before others “so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Standing Out in a Conformist Culture
In this world of darkness, in this world of “non-flavor” – this vanilla concept of the world – we need to step up our game. We need to be brighter and have more flavor than ever before.
There are plenty of people out there who are opinionated, who have no hope, who live with anxiety and fear. There are plenty who think they know best for everybody else. There are plenty who are angry and frustrated with life. There are plenty running after more stuff and happiness.
But there aren’t a lot of individuals doing the right things for Christ. There aren’t many people who make others stop and think, “What’s different about that person?”
Living Out Our Calling
We need to reinstill in our lives, our families, our workplaces, and our schools what it looks like to be a Christian. Too often when someone says, “Oh, I know Christians,” they follow with “they’re hypocrites, they’re judgmental” – and they’ve probably met many who fit that description.
But what we need to do is go back to what Jesus taught – to be meek and mild, to think about others more than ourselves, to be poor in spirit and understand it’s only by grace that we live. We need to follow the mandate of Jesus Christ to be different than this world.
Next Steps: Bringing Flavor and Light
What flavor are you bringing? What light are you shining? The world is looking for any signs of life, any sign of light. They’re searching for anything that shows them there might be hope, a future, a way forward.
Take a moment to think about your daily interactions:
- When you spend time with neighbors
- When you go to the grocery store
- When you’re waiting in line
Are you bringing hope? Joy? Love? Peace? Patience? Goodness? Kindness? Self-control? Are you meek and mild? Do you fight for justice? Do you speak love into someone’s life?
If that was you this week, keep going. Keep pushing. Keep adding that flavor because that’s what we’re called to do. But if it wasn’t, remember – you’re still alive, which means you have another chance. You can look at your interactions differently starting today.
Remember, we “wrestle not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). The people around us aren’t our enemies. Set yourself to a point where you know you’re going to win – because you’re going to be the salt and the light that this world so desperately needs.