If the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Matthew 5:13b
Man..that would have to be bland. I was talking to someone the other day and they said something that caught my ear. They said, “I don’t like salt.” Wait. What? I mean I’ve heard lots of people say that they don’t use salt. The reason is usually a doctor or a spouse that has laid down the law. It is usually medically driven, and you do without so you can keep on doing. But this person said he didn’t like salt. That is just hard to imagine.
You all probably know that I love food…just about all kinds, all flavors, and all portions. But food without seasoning just kinda takes away the whole point. You know what Jesus said don’t you? He said that salt that has lost it savor…its flavor…its ability to influence is worthless. “Chuck it out on the sand pile,” he said. Imagine grits with no salt, green beans with no salt (or fatback…oh my), mashed potatoes with no salt (wait that might even be a sin) and the list just goes on and on. At least for me it becomes a gray world where eating becomes something you have to do instead of something you want to do…you crave to do.
I was listening to a short devotional video that sparked all this thinking about seasoning and salt. The person said we should allow God’s Word to marinate our lives. Let me explain. I like chicken. I really like fried chicken. I especially like fried chicken that has been dipped in a really good dry mixture of spices—how many does the Colonel use? Or maybe it is a wet batter just waiting to be plunged to a frying pan of hot grease. Can someone say hallelujah?
Believe it or not there are other ways to eat chicken and one of the most popular is grilled chicken. I’m a fan of that too but especially when the chicken has been marinated in some sort of marinade. You see, as the chicken takes a bath in whatever it is the flavor of the marinade slowly seeps into the chicken…changing it from just chicken to something that is just about heavenly. Are you tracking with me? So, the bottom line just seems to be the things that we season our food with changes the whole experience. It is true with food…and it is true with life.
An unseasoned life can be pretty boring and at the same time a life seasoned with the wrong things can be pretty disastrous. It is important that we allow the right things to influence us. The wrong environments, the wrong company, the wrong media habits, and the wrong mindset can all set us up for a life that at the least is less than and at the most leaves us depressed, discouraged, and disillusioned. Just like with food…the seasonings matter. Colonel Sanders talks about his secret blend of seasoning and spices, but I don’t want this to be a secret.
You see, as I have journeyed through the kitchen of life (and trust me I have ended up in a few frying pans) I have discovered the secret to a well-seasoned life. Are you ready? It is a personal relationship with the God who created it all. Now wait…don’t close the book yet. Notice I didn’t say religion, I didn’t say church, I didn’t say doing this or doing that…I said a personal encounter with the God who loves me and you enough to give His Son to a Roman cross. When you add that kind of love to your life…it’s gotta be good. Smucker’s (they make jams and jelly) says this, “If it is Smucker’s it has to be good.” I’ve had their stuff and it is pretty sweet…no pun intended.
Well, let me tell you, if it is God, contrary to what you have heard, it has got to be good. Now I’m not talking about the version you see too often in the lives of people…I am talking about the version that you find in His book…the Bible. So, if you are thinking about adding some seasoning to your life, let me encourage you to get a copy of the Bible and try reading about Jesus. You might want to start in the Gospel (which means Good News) of John. Using the index will make it easy to find. What you will discover will change the flavor of your life. If you are finding that things in your world are just a little or a lot bland—ask the Master Chef—He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 