Matthew 5:13-16: “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
I’ve been taking a number of cooking classes this year, and a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking a class from Carla Hall, who has been a successful contestant on Top Chef. She was talking about why restaurant food often tasted so much better than the food we cooked at home, and attributed it to a few ingredients used liberally — butter and salt. As she held up a container of salt, she asked, “So what is this?” Most of us were thinking, salt. But with a big smile, she said, “Compliments! If you use it, you will get them. If you don’t, you probably won’t.”
I’ve noticed that salt brings out the other flavors in the food and makes it better. You can overdo it, but if you omit it, the food really is flat and not as interesting. It just seems like it’s missing something.
This got me thinking. If we are the salt of the earth, maybe our role is to be compliments to the earth. We are meant to be that little bit of seasoning that enhances everything around us, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. When we offer compliments to others, it brings out their best and helps then shine. And the more we share compliments, the better our corner of the world becomes, because we all begin to believe in our best selves and aspirations.
And once we believe in our best selves, we do shine. We beam with pride when someone notices we’ve done something well. When we shine, we can see the talents of those around us.
We are the salt. We are the compliments. We are the light. As Jesus commands, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
