You Are the Salt of the Earth: What to Remember When You Feel Like You’re Not Good Enough or That You Don’t Matter
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Photo by Esther Ann on Unsplash
I recently had a craving for vanilla cake so, on a whim, I found a recipe online, gathered the ingredients, and whipped them together.
Since this was my first time using this particular recipe, I decided to take a quick taste of the batter before baking it. The batter smelled sweet and vanilla-y, and as I ladled out a small spoonful, I expected it to be delicious. But sadly, when I licked the spoon, I discovered that it didn’t taste as good as it smelled. In fact, it was pretty dull tasting.
I thought back to the ingredients listed in the recipe: butter, sugar, milk, vanilla…It had everything that makes a cake taste good—except, it suddenly occurred to me, one thing: salt.
Just to confirm that lack of salt was the culprit, I used a clean spoon to scoop out another bite of batter, but this time, before tasting it, I sprinkled salt on top. Sure enough, the salted sample of batter was full of flavor.
Isn’t it amazing what a difference one ingredient can make? Especially an ingredient like salt, which is usually used in very small quantities. For example, consider the proportion of flour to salt in my husband’s favorite chocolate chip cookies. The recipe calls for 2 ¼ cups flour but requires only 1 teaspoon of salt, which means that there is 108 times as much flour in the cookies as there is salt! Salt makes up just a tiny fraction of this cookie recipe, yet without it, these fabulous cookies would be just as bland as my cake.
YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH
Do you know what else is amazing?
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells His followers that they “are the salt of the earth” (NLT). This means that if you are a follower of Jesus, you keep the world from being bland!
However, sometimes it’s hard for us to believe this beautiful truth. So, if you feel like what you have to offer doesn’t really matter…
If you feel like you’re not good enough…
If you feel small and insignificant…
If you have something you want to share but wonder what difference it could possibly make…
I’m here to remind you that you are a key player in God’s family, and your gifts, callings, dreams, and skills are vital ingredients in God’s plan for bringing Heaven to Earth! Please don’t let anyone—including yourself—tell you otherwise!
YOU CAN’T NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Before I wrap this up, here’s one more interesting fact about salt: It can’t not be salty. While contaminated salt can indeed be flavorless (which could be what Jesus was referring to in the second part of Matthew 5:13, where he says, “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.”) pure salt is a very stable substance and does not lose its flavor.
You are the salt of the earth, and if you are abiding in Jesus and following the leadership of the Holy Spirit to the best of your ability, you can’t not make a difference in the world.
You are truly amazing, my friend, and I hope these reflections on salt help you remember that!
As always, you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I’d love to hear from you! You can contact me here or through the comment section below!
In purpose and faith,
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