“You are the world’s seasoning, to make it tolerable. If you lose your flavor, what will happen to the world? And you yourselves will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” (Matthew 5:13 TLB)
Last Sunday I was on my own at church with my 8 month old and 3 year old granddaughters. As I parked my vehicle, another member who had just finished parking, came over and asked if he could take one of the children for me. Wow, did I feel blessed. As a senior lugging around a twenty pound infant in a bulky snowsuit, a large diaper bag and hanging on to the hand of a three year old as we walk across a slippery snow covered lot to the entrance of the church is not always an easy task, so to have someone step up and offer to help was huge. I handed the baby off to him and he not only carried her to the church, he also took the time to get all her winter attire off of her once we were inside. After the service he waited until I was ready to go and then dressed the baby, carried her out to my vehicle and strapped her into her car seat. I thanked him profusely yet I am sure he had absolutely no idea how much his action, of being the world’s seasoning, made my day just that much more pleasant and tolerable.
To be seasoning means to add something more to bring out the best flavor possible whether we are cooking or baking or living for Christ. It means going the extra mile in regards to our attitude and actions, even our thoughts towards others, for our thoughts greatly influence our words and attitude.
Reading the Bible and learning about what it means to be a Christian and to live for Christ can at times be overwhelming as there seems to be so many things we feel we should be remembering or putting into practice. But if we simply boil it all down to these words *you are the world’s seasoning, to make it tolerable.* it suddenly seems very doable. It’s just a matter of asking God each and everyday to show us the little things we can do that are helpful to others. For every time we do some little thing to help out another, we are in fact, making their world a little more tolerable.
So today let’s intentionally choose to be the world’s seasoning. Let’s seek to add just that little bit more to someone else’s life that they may find their world just that much more pleasant and tolerable. And by so seasoning the lives of others, we are also ensuring that we ourselves do not lose our flavor. The flavor of Christ who has seasoned our life with His love now and forever more.
Prayer: Thank you Father for the opportunity to make life just a little bit more tolerable for others. Our world can be a very dark place for a lot of people who struggle with burdens and cares we have no idea about. Encourage and strengthen us today to be seasoning, the seasoning of Your love within us, to the world around us. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Lynne Phipps