Are You Salty? Do You Have the Qualities of Salt? Part 1 of 2
Be Salt and Light
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:13-16 (NLT)
“Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” Mark 9:50 (NLT)
Each college term I pray to be the kind of person that my students will look at and see as something different, somebody that stands out from their normal college professors. I want them to see Jesus in me, without even knowing that I am a Christian. I want to be what the Bible calls “salt”.
When I originally wrote this post a few years ago, I was so excited because I had such a great group of young women and men in my college classes. It was really an answered prayer of sorts. I spent a lot of time in prayer that previous summer for the students that I would be teaching that upcoming fall semester. As is my habit, I prayed for God to place the right students into my classes, the students that I could really help and with whom I could make a difference. Sometimes as a teacher it’s hard to tell if I’m making a difference or getting through. From the bottom of my heart, I want to speak into their lives and make a lasting impact. I want to be that “salt” in their lives.
Opportunities to be salt
That following fall I had some pretty amazing, strong Christians, many of them already possessing some of the qualities of salt. This is sometimes rare on a public college campus—to have strong Christian students that speak outright about their faith. I could already tell that they are going to do something big someday! They are going to be powerhouses for the kingdom of God and I feel so honored to play a small role in their lives.
My friend and fellow praying mom, Gwen, pointed out that it’s pretty cool that I would get an opportunity to speak into the lives of these students in a different way. I got a chance to impact their walk with God and their influence on others. I got to have conversations with them on a different level. There were opportunities to teach them and show them how to be salt in action. It was like on-the-job training!
Explaining how NOT to be salt
That semester I had a conversation after class with a few of my students. A couple of them mentioned that I was the only Christian professor that they had (which is not unusual for a public college). We had some discussions about classmates, friends, and professors who are not Christians, and we spoke about opportunities to walk out our Christian faith in a potentially adversarial environment.
Some of them were struggling with people who disagreed with their beliefs and lifestyle. We talked about it being pointless and even counter-productive to argue with people who don’t have the same beliefs we do. I told them we can sometimes do more harm than good if we try to coerce, force, or convince people of our beliefs (more about that here). Actually, I encouraged them NOT to do this for that very reason, even though it’s in our nature to do so. I told them that it was a hard lesson I had to learn, myself, as a student because I tend to be pretty vocal. Those of you who know me well are probably snickering right now thinking that I just made a massive understatement. 🙂
I explained the importance of letting their life (what they do and how they act) speak louder than their words.
*Click here to read more about letting your life and actions speak louder than your words here.
“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:1-4 (NIV)
or said another way…
“…Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words…” 1 Peter 3:1 (NLT)
But first…relationship
I’ve learned from experience that it’s actually more effective to live a life of example, be a role model, and show love. Pastor Whitney George said something once at church that has always stuck with me. He said, “You have to win people to yourself before you can ever win them to the Lord.” In essence, before you can truly speak into the life of another person you have to have some sort of relationship or rapport there.
So then our first goal must be to win people to us….we must love them first. Serving and loving on people is the best thing that we can ever do for the kingdom of God.
“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39 (NLT)
Walk the walk, not just talk the talk
We discussed that it’s actually more effective to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. We need to teach others about Jesus by our actions. Let our lifestyle and deeds speak for us. People should be able to tell we are Christians without us even saying a word. There should be something different about us. We should have Jesus’ face shining in ours. People should see light in our faces. People should like us and not even know why. We need to follow the instructions of Jesus and be salt and light to the people we come across in our lives.
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:13-16 (NLT)
“Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” Mark 9:50 (NLT)
