Staying Above The Gutter

"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, except to be thrown out and trampled by men".  Matthew 5:18

 We were at a restaurant the other night and my wife had ordered one of her favorite dishes. A little into her meal she decided to season her dish with the salt that was provided on the table. Unfortunately, it was sea salt. She used the salt anyway but after several shakes she could not get the desired taste for her dish. Finally I flagged down the waiter and asked if they had regular table salt. He promptly returned with a small bowl of the coveted granules in which my wife used straightaway and was immediately satisfied. "Now that's salt", she exclaimed.
 It's like that in our everyday lives. We are continually surrounded by rude, insensitive, and obnoxious people. Even as we attempt to be the best person we can possibly be these individuals are consistently evil and seemingly unlovable.  It is so easy to give in to the inclination to render the same brashness to them that they deliver to you but that is exactly what we are not to do. These people are hurting and are products of something that went very badly in their lives that we may never know about. They need to be rescued from their misery and we have the heart to pull them out of the fire.   We do not do this by accepting their unwarranted behavior, but we win them by keeping ourselves on the straight and narrow and not submitting to the thought of hopelessness.
 Just as my wife could not be satisfied with the salt substitute on the restaurant table, we cannot be content in being the "packaged Christian" that the world is promoting. You know what I mean; the type who prays on Sunday and curses people out on Monday. We must be authentic in all we do.
 I ask that you seek out such a person in your life today who is hurting and lonely and unhappy. Bless them with an unexpected gift, give them a compliment that they are not expecting to receive, (I'm certain there is something good about them that you can find). Let your light shine so that others will see God through you.
 Have a great and productive day and try to make a difference in the world around you.
 Dennis