Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Pass The Salt Please




I love to eat fried cornbread. I grew up with it on our table at almost every meal. My grandmother very rarely cooked a meal that we did not have either baked or fried cornbread with it. I’m not talking about the sweet flavored type of cornbread many of you may be familiar with eating. The cornbread I’m talking about is made from plain, white corn meal and water. The water and meal are mixed together until it becomes thick, almost like a pancake batter. Then it’s either baked in a cast iron skillet in the oven or made into small patty cakes and fried in oil until golden brown. 

We’ve had friends over on different occasions and when we put the cornbread on the table they almost always ask, “What is that?” When I tell them it’s cornbread they usually ask to try a piece. However, the response is nearly always the same. “This is very bland,” they say. They’re right. With just a mixture of corn meal and water you shouldn’t expect a burst of flavor. We eat it with salty meat or mashed in with a good flavorful stew. The bland taste of the cornbread is not very tasty just on its own, but when combined with something salty, it’s great. I know it’s not healthy, but sometimes I actually put a little salt in my plate and dip the cornbread in it as I eat. The salt enhances the flavor of the cornbread, making it the perfect combination. 

Jesus said we are the salt of the earth. We, as Christians, add flavor to an otherwise bland world. We are the seasoning of grace and knowledge to those who do not know Christ. People can’t see the saltiness at first glance, but it’s there. As we mix with others, the salt in our lives begins to mix with the bland flavor of their own lives and they notice a difference, maybe even for the first time. 

If we lose our savor, our seasoning, then how can we add flavor to the lives of others? We may be the only seasoning of godliness that someone gets to experience. 

Matthew 5:13 says, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.” (The Message)

Each time we reach for the saltshaker while we are cooking or eating a meal, remember our lives serve the same purpose. So let’s go out there and share some seasoning with the rest of the world. Once they taste the difference, they won’t want to live without it. Now, pass the cornbread and the salt, please. 

Excerpt from "Life is a Buffet So What's On Your Plate?" Copyright © 2009 by Polly D. Boyette. All rights reserved.

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