a salty new year...
I keep getting 2013 and 2014 confused. I suppose 2014 has been the calmest year I've had in a while, however, it's still been a full one. There were changes, as seems to be the case every year, but nothing out of the ordinary. The biggest change Aaron and I went through this year was a job change. But it was such a good thing that it hardly counts. We've had our high moments, low moments, and monotonous moments. We've traveled, we've celebrated, and we've enjoyed another year of life. We've added to our plate, we've cleared some from our plate, and we've been thankful that God has given us a year of new opportunities. And as I sit back and marvel at how fast the time is passing, I am amazed at how generous, how good, how kind and loving God has been to us. I am always amazed at His consistent faithfulness, year after year after year.
Winter has come full force this year. It has been freezing, snowy, and icy the past few days. This is my least favorite weather, and January is my least favorite month of the year. It's too cold, the days are too short, and it's a depressing fall from the holidays. Aaron and I both had the day off, and we decided to venture out of the house for lunch. The streets were icy. Not kind of icy, not patchy, but completely iced over. We probably could have skated up and down the block if we tried, and I wondered how long it was going to take us to get our lunch. We crept down the block and as we turned onto one of the major streets, we saw that the ice was gone. The road wasn't slippery at all. Aaron said, "They must have been out early this morning salting the streets." And I thought about how interesting it is that salt has the ability to melt ice. It's strange, really. Something so small, so simple, could melt through layers of cold, hard, ice. But it works. I don't really know how, I just know it does because I've seen it.
Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth. Flavor the world with goodness. Preserve lives, bring healing. Salt does a lot of things. But maybe Jesus is also asking us to soften the hearts of those around us. Hardened hearts. Icy, cold hearts. Hearts that don't believe. Hearts that have been hurt, been betrayed, believe the lies, and don't know the truth. Hearts that have years of scar tissue built around them for perceived protection. They've been through difficult things, have walked a hard road. Life hasn't been fair or kind or considerate. And they haven't felt the warmth He brings. They've never been filled with the hope He gives. But they long to know they matter. They long to know they're loved. They long to know that life offers more than the heartache they've felt for so long. And maybe when we're salt, when we come into contact with hearts that are cold, when we pour ourselves out onto the ice, we can begin to make a difference. Little by little, it melts away. Jesus is reflected, His love is noticed. Lives begins to change, and things look different. Better. Hopeful. And from one grain of salt the melting begins. Eventually, the ice is gone.
"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
Winter has come full force this year. It has been freezing, snowy, and icy the past few days. This is my least favorite weather, and January is my least favorite month of the year. It's too cold, the days are too short, and it's a depressing fall from the holidays. Aaron and I both had the day off, and we decided to venture out of the house for lunch. The streets were icy. Not kind of icy, not patchy, but completely iced over. We probably could have skated up and down the block if we tried, and I wondered how long it was going to take us to get our lunch. We crept down the block and as we turned onto one of the major streets, we saw that the ice was gone. The road wasn't slippery at all. Aaron said, "They must have been out early this morning salting the streets." And I thought about how interesting it is that salt has the ability to melt ice. It's strange, really. Something so small, so simple, could melt through layers of cold, hard, ice. But it works. I don't really know how, I just know it does because I've seen it.
Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth. Flavor the world with goodness. Preserve lives, bring healing. Salt does a lot of things. But maybe Jesus is also asking us to soften the hearts of those around us. Hardened hearts. Icy, cold hearts. Hearts that don't believe. Hearts that have been hurt, been betrayed, believe the lies, and don't know the truth. Hearts that have years of scar tissue built around them for perceived protection. They've been through difficult things, have walked a hard road. Life hasn't been fair or kind or considerate. And they haven't felt the warmth He brings. They've never been filled with the hope He gives. But they long to know they matter. They long to know they're loved. They long to know that life offers more than the heartache they've felt for so long. And maybe when we're salt, when we come into contact with hearts that are cold, when we pour ourselves out onto the ice, we can begin to make a difference. Little by little, it melts away. Jesus is reflected, His love is noticed. Lives begins to change, and things look different. Better. Hopeful. And from one grain of salt the melting begins. Eventually, the ice is gone.
"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
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