Day 21

More cancer, a broken marriage, a diseased liver, severe depression…..it had been one of those weeks where bad news seemed to be piling one on top of another. Even though the whole point of my own journey was a surrender of my control, I felt oppressed by my inability to change any of these circumstances for these people I love. My plea was they would feel God's unfailing love and know the Hope that only He can offer, but for some reason the spoken prayer just didn't seem like enough.

It wasn't until I read with fresh eyes the words of Jesus from Matthew 5:13-16 that I realized the reason for the heaviness I was feeling.

“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. Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16 MSG)

There is a calling on my life: to be salt to bring out the God-flavors and light to bring out the God-colors. In the past, I would have been completely overwhelmed by the idea of fulfilling this calling in the midst of such intense circumstances. I would have relied on the spoken prayer and moved on.

But I experienced my own “bend in the road” and to not act was no longer an option. It was those little acts of love poured out on us by many people that left a God-taste and opened my eyes to Grace of it all. Just as salt must lose itself in the food in order to offer the savor….just as light has to go to the darkness to dispel it….the action steps became more clear and the burden started feeling a little lighter.