I’m a tea drinker.
The other day while I was out with the missionary, we stopped in a tea shop, and I purchased some Earl Grey tea. Later, back at my apartment, I made myself a cup and sweetened it with some vanilla syrup. It was a little bitter, so the next day I decided to go back and get some sugar.
I grabbed my wallet, but forgot to take my phone.
I wandered through the shop and eventually found what I knew to be flour. One of the bags had been torn, and some of the flour had spilled out. Knowing that the sugar should be somewhere close by, I picked up several bags near the flour, trying to find one that looked like it had the consistency of sugar.
I finally selected a bag, purchased it and headed back to my apartment to make some tea.
I made my tea, added what I thought was sugar, and let it sit for a few minutes to cool.
Then I took a sip.
To my surprise, I had actually added salt!
It was without a doubt, the worst tasting tea I have ever had!
Now, I know that as Christians we are called to be “the salt of the earth.” Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth.”
Salt has an important purpose. It preserves. It enhances flavor. It can make a difference in something that otherwise might seem bland.
But as I thought about my terrible cup of tea, I began thinking that perhaps sometimes as Christians, we need to be a little sweet as well.
Rules and regulations are important. Truth is important. There are things that we are called to stand for, and we should never compromise what God has called us to believe.
But sometimes we can be so focused on being the salt that we forget about kindness, grace, compassion, and love.
Sometimes people don’t need another rule pointed out to them. Sometimes they need someone to listen.
Sometimes they don’t need to be reminded of what they are doing wrong. Sometimes they need encouragement.
Sometimes they need someone to show them the love of Christ in a practical way.
The interesting thing about the salt and the sugar I bought is that the packages looked very similar. From the outside, I couldn’t tell much difference between them.
But once I put the salt into my tea, there was no mistaking the difference.
What is on the outside may look similar, but what is inside makes all the difference!
I think that is true of us as Christians, too.
People may not always remember exactly what we said. They may not remember every rule or every verse we quoted. But they will often remember how we treated them. Did we show them kindness? Did we offer encouragement? Did we listen? Did we make them feel valued? Did they see something of Christ in the way we interacted with them?
We are called to be the salt of the earth, but perhaps we should also remember that the salt is supposed to make a difference, not make everything unpleasant. Jesus demonstrated truth and grace. He never compromised the truth, but He also met people with compassion, mercy and love.
So, maybe there is a lesson in my terrible cup of tea! Be the salt God has called you to be but don’t forget to add a little sweetness. Sometimes, a little kindness may be the very thing that helps someone taste and see that the Lord is good.
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