defining salt

Once upon a time, I was sitting with a couple disciples, and they were discussing the difference between Christian Woman A and Christian Woman B. We couldn't easily identify the contrast. Both grew up in the church, attended the same Christian college, participated in the same extra-curriculars, and seemingly minister through similar gifts.

[Note to women: Spirit-filled guys have these conversations when you're not around.]

While we couldn't place a finger on "it," we knew there was an x-factor -- a variable in which their fruit was dependent. I sat quietly through the debate, until a lightbulb was seemingly tripped from the heavens...

"Christian Woman B has salt."

Say what?

Granted, my opinion wasn't fully unbiased. CWB (for short) had been a student in my youth ministry. But this is where the bias ends. CWB had been the black sheep in my youth group. When other girls went left, she went right. Her pursuit of holiness (and criticism of the status-quo) led to awkward and tense relationships. Her best friend began to cast her aside when she became increasingly off-beat. In fact, it wasn't long before CWB began looking for a new youth group. CWB was unanimously unappreciated.

I wish I could say that I wasn't to blame. In fact, six years ago, I probably did. But I was painfully agreeable in those days, and was more concerned with keeping the peace than supporting the boldest voice. I was agreeable enough to bore myself and others.

And that's the problem with salt. You can't cut its saltiness. There is no half-salt or less salty salt. There's salt and there's not salt.

Understand that to accept CWB's salt, my youth had to accept its implications. For a while, it was good for them to admire the salt for what it was -- to encourage its passion and smile at its delivery. But you can't place salt on your tongue for very long without tasting it. To most, the salt was more bitter than savory. Being confronted with their own impurity and pride was too much. CWB never set out to do this; it couldn't be helped.

Since the salt hasn't changed over the years, I have determined that our taste buds were distorted from the evil in our hearts, not that the salt was bad. It tasted exactly the way in which God intended.

Often, I wish I had CWBs determination. Being salt is tough. It probably wasn't as easy as her smile always indicated, but only in the last few years have I known what it means to be treated this way. The casual believer wants to accept the spice and deny its strength. We want to root for the mighty works that we fail to accomplish, but we don't want to get close enough for their conviction.

Sadly, we fail to recognize that the Spirit's inhabitance presses the issue. Whether we like the task, we are salt. We are the only ones that can choose to become less than salt. However, there are no degrees: if we decide to become something that is easier to swallow, we revoke the privilege to be something the world needs.

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 5:13)