I am, as the kids say these days, salty - but for other reasons than you'd think.
This morning's sermon included discussion of the salt and light metaphors Jesus uses. "You are salt," Hillary told us. It's not that you become salty. I am salt. Many of you prayed for me for forty days anticipating great changes. While there was no development in my physical recovery to report, nor was there an increase in my piousness, I'm salt and light in my response. It's not the miracle I expected, but as my friend Art told me a while ago, I'm a miracle in progress, so I'm still praying.
It's not necessary to recap the last few weeks that I paused updates to ask for prayer because I'm still going to ask any readers I have left to keep praying. My birthday was this past Tuesday, and and alumna made a delicious cheesecake for me that I enjoyed at the Bryans with tacos. I felt incredibly loved through this past week, and I'm so grateful for the people who celebrated me.
Hopefully all the people who shared love with me could also tell that I was a bit of healthy salt in their life too - purifying, preserving, making safe (that's how we use it on icy days in Oregon). When Hillary was talking about being salty, she was describing all the positive features, but she did mention you won't feel great if you just eat a spoonful of salt (which obviously reminded me of my favorite student story told on a previous post). Her connection was that salt is meant to go throughout food, to be spread around generously, to bring out flavor and enhance what's there. My job, as a salty Jesus follower, is to extend good and bring out joy among other things.
This week was an opportunity for me to see blessings around me but to also, I think, extend that bit of salt and light into places it's not found in generous supply.