Variance #2 or "what I learned at the rescue mission about salt"

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything..." (Matthew 5:13).

I was sitting around a table in Detroit yesterday afternoon, having lunch at one of the Detroit Rescue Mission sites. Seven of us had driven down for the day to do some painting around the facility and clean some walls that had apparently become a booming metropolis for that area's spider population (after reading some of "Charlotte's Web" to my son at bedtime last night, I was kind of sad about changing their world so dramatically). We were there for the day so they insisted we eat. Most of the guys who work there are living breathing success stories of the power of what the Detroit Rescue Mission does every single day. It's one of the many things I love about spending time there. Steak wraps were on the menu for the men yesterday so our group sat down around a table and enjoyed them. A couple of us were still a little hungry afterward and as we talked about possibly running out to pick-up a couple things for the rest of the day, the cook came into the cafeteria... "you guys want some wings?" A couple of moments later we were eating chicken wings fresh out of the fryer. The salty flavor lavished and lingered. We didn't need to go out and pick up anything else.

I've heard these words of Jesus used again and again in a myriad of contexts with seemingly endless applications. I like to think that Jesus meant it to be understood quite simply. What does salt do? Salt preserves. Salt provides flavor. I am a follower of Jesus. He turns to me, looks me in the eye and says "you are the salt of the earth."
I am urged to preserve. I am inspired to flavor.

I have found that spending time at the mission is a necessary thing for me to do. It helps me see reality a little clearer, putting a thousand things into perspective every time I go. As I scrubbed a wall yesterday I thought a lot about what was taking place there. Each moment of every day they preserve hope for people who thought all hope was gone. They provide flavor to people's lives in small ways - the words they choose and the manner in which they speak them; and large ways - giving them the opportunity for a greater purpose.

No one eats a pile of salt. Salt, in and of itself will not satisfy.
No, salt gives its value away -  It brings preservation, flavor, and life.

When I live for myself I am no longer good for anything. I bring nothing to the table. It's like placing a bowl of salt in front of a hungry child...useless. When I join Jesus in His mission I become useful in the kingdom - preserving hope, providing flavor.