Gracefully Salted

Ever since I started this blog ten months ago, I've been racking my brain trying to think of a better blog title. I wanted something that was representative of our family, fun but meaningful. Unfortunately, I've been having a chronic creative block. I love some of my friends who have such creative titles like: All these things, Raising Oaks of Righteousness, Styleberry or Hidden Cupcakes.

A couple months ago, I was reading aloud to Nathan the verse in Matthew that says,

"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. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."(5:13)

Nate ever so casually says, "Did you know that Salinas means salt."

What?! Why didn't I remember that?

Yes, in Spanish, Salinas refers to workers of salt, similar to how in English, Smith refers to workers of metal.

Hmmmmmm. That got the wheels in my mind turning. Thinking about salt . . .salt is one of the most bountiful natural resources and a common ingredient in cooking. In the kitchen, the measure of salt is critical: too little leaves the food bland and too much can spoil the dish.

But how does salt season a spiritual dish? I did some research on the term salt and found some interesting commentary on this verse by Matthew Henry.

In the Bible, salt is mentioned quite often. It is used to define an everlasting covenant or covenant of salt (Num. 18:19). The Bible is an everlasting gospel. Salt was also required in all of the sacrifices (Lev 2:13).

In the earlier chapters of Matthew, Christ calls his disciples to be fishers of men; in this salty passage, Christ calls them to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. They are called to go out into the world and spread the good news of Jesus.

As a believer in Christ we are to be seasoned with the gospel and spreading the love of Jesus to those around us. With that comes the importance of being graceful in how we share Christ's love. Our thoughts, affections, words and actions should all be seasoned with grace or gracefully salted.

Nathan and I believe in the significance of a name, and our family name calls us to be salt to those around us. Therefore, to honor that calling, our vision, our hope, our life is to love others around us and speak the truth in love. We will strive to teach Sammy to do the same. In this way, we can gracefully salt the world around us so that others can taste faith, hope and love.