And so it begins; my first “Jesus Piece” ( nothing like the chain Kanye West used to always wear) is here.

I remember a while ago when I started blogging and getting feedback from various people, a lot of my Christian friends would ask me “Cristine, when will you ever write something pertaining to Christianity?” . I used to either ignore the question or reply in a rather irate voice “I don’t have to!”  That was about a year ago and as we all know a lot can change in a year and now I’ve come to understand that whilst I don’t have to stand on the streets and preach (my voice isn’t terribly loud anyway so nobody would hear me) or give out tracts I must be about my Father’s business (Luke 2:49) because I am both salt and light.

“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 underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13 – 17

I love this scripture because it reveals who we are, what we ought to be as well as what we are not as Children of God.  I will deal with who we are and what we ought to be together and then move on to discuss what we are not in a different paragraph.

In order to ascertain who we are/ what we ought to be we need to first of all look at the characteristics of  both salt and light.

I will begin by breaking down the functions of salt.  Every “foodie” (I actually hate this term lol but I thought it useful in this instance) knows the relevance of salt. For those of us who are not clued up on “modern slang”, a foodie is a person who has an ardent interest in food.  I’ve eaten many meals in my time and complained about how bland the meal was because of the lack of salt. In fact, I cannot actually eat McDonald’s fries without them being salted( you must all by now think I have a salt addiction but my nutritionist says I don’t. That was a joke, I do not have a nutritionist).  However, the fact remains that salt functions primarily, especially within our context, to add flavour to a meal. Salt was the ancient worlds equivalent to antiseptic. Gone are the days where we apply salt to wounds (thanks to the wonder that is TCP ) but it used to be common practise to rub salt on a cut or graze in order for it to heal. In addition, salt was  formerly used to preserve foods so that they might not rot long before the introduction of fridges and freezers (yes such a time did exist).

Thus if we are called salt of the earth, if Jesus  likens us to salt then we must embody the functions of salt: we must add flavour, we must be the remedy for society’s wounds, and we must preserve  the world so that it might not rot. I believe Christianity implores us to ask questions about our salvation so here are the questions: How are you adding flavour to another’s life? Does your conduct suggest salt? Are you adding bitterness and sorrow? Do your words heal?  How are we preserving the “good”? Are we essentially following the trends of the world forgetting that we are in this world but not actually of this world?

Light is a beautiful thing because it enhances vision, it illuminates, it is liberating, it is safe and it is so potent. I used to actually be afraid of the dark (don’t laugh) and so I would sleep with the light on to feel safe.  This is what I am talking about when I say light is safe, it reassures the anxious that everything will be okay just as that expression, ” there is light at the end of the tunnel”,  suggests.   I have since gotten over of my fear of the dark, in fact I now sit in the dark with only the light emanating from my laptop to guide me, however it just goes to show how potent light can be.

Jesus is the light of the world but as joint heirs with Christ we too must emanate this light. We must enhance vision as light enhances vision, we must illuminate as light illuminates, we must liberate as light liberates, we must endorse safety as light endorses safety and lastly we must be so potent as light is potent.  How are you being the light in your home, in your work place, at school, within your family? How do you brighten other people’s worlds?How are you being an example for others to follow? Do you emanate love? Do you show love to thy neighbour as you would do to yourself?

Here’s what we are not. We are not bland, we are not without personalities, we are not the same as the world,  we were not created to fade into the background, we are most definitely not afraid of the dark (I can say this because I am no longer afraid of the dark). Do we even realise how special we are for Jesus to even consider us to have the qualities that both light and salt posses?

Christians are always harping on about their purpose in life and yet this scripture reveals our purpose- add flavour and shine. Don’t ever become  bitter and don’t ever dim your light.

So yes, you could say I wrote this “Jesus Piece”  in an attempt to let the world see my light after all those years of  “putting it under a bowl” but I also want to implore you to shine bright like a diamond (lool no Rhianna) and salt the earth (or wherever your feet take you) so that the world may glorify our Father in Heaven. It will not be easy  ( I will never lie to y’all)  but it will be worth it.

Love Croe x

P.S you are all beautiful like diamonds in the sky.