Are there any phrases spoken in your family that only a relative would understand? Perhaps, a word usage that pinpoints to a specific geographical area? Your ears possibly perk up a little because they are so unique, or it takes a few seconds to process? While volunteering in Calgary with West Jackson Baptist Church, my friend Judy used the phrase, “We have plates grandma” when describing an item that was no longer needed from the store since we had plenty. Some people will recognize what area of East Tennessee my friend Kyle is from when he asks, “What have you’ins been up to?” rather than the usual Southern “y’all.” But the word that will always bring to mind fond memories and connects to this blog post and to my friend KayCee is the word “Salty.”

When KayCee used this word to explain her attitude towards a situation, I was able to infer it’s meaning to our conversation, but admittedly, I was unfamiliar with the usage and may have taken the time to look it up online. Discovering the informal use of the word to mean “feeling or showing resentment towards a person or situation,” I was able to confirm my expectation because I knew she was unhappy with a particular decision. So, today when I was listening to a message from Tim Ross entitled Pass the Salt, my mind drifted to thoughts of KayCee, and the reality is that the word Salty will be always be connected to her for me, whenever and wherever the word arises.

In this particular lively, humorous, and thoughtful message, Pastor Tim explains the importance of comprehending the difference between sprinkling, tossing, and pouring salt to describe how Salty People change the world. Referencing Scripture from the passage of Luke 14, he expresses Jesus’ unique teaching style of moving from one topic to another without a smooth transition, “Jesus goes from straight leadership session to Food Network in one second without giving a clean transition…he makes no sense!” But when you dig a little deeper into the picture Jesus paints about how inconvenient following Him may be, Ross uncovers three points Jesus makes with this particular narrative that was relevant in their specific time period: salt is used to season, to preserve, and to kill; but this imagery is also relevant to us today and we are being challenged to be Salty People.

Narrowing the 14,000 uses of salt down to three, Ross details how today we use salt to season, preserve, and kill. The examples he provides are easily relatable—we use salt to season our French fries; to preserve meat like beef jerky; and to kill snails and weeds that invade our lawn. Making a clean transition (unlike Jesus in Luke 14), Ross moves from the practical applications of salt to the spiritual implications in order to clarify why people of faith should desire to be Salty People.

“I guarantee you the saltiest people in this room, those who literally change the entire world, know when to sprinkle, when to toss, and when to dump… the saltiest people in this room have people that love them and they don’t even know why, but it’s because they were always getting sprinkled…the saltiest people in this room can go through the most trying times in their life, but because they know when to toss, their faith is always preserved…the saltiest people in this room are the ones that can apologize for their behavior, not because they saw it first, but because [God] saw it, and they were open enough to allow Him to change them from the inside out.” The Salty People kill those Weeds of Ingratitude, or those Weeds of Bitterness, before they establish strong roots and take over their lives.

Then Ross presents me with a challenge: to become a Salty Person, and I ask you to hold me accountable, to be aware of when I need to sprinkle, toss, or dump. “Will you pass the salt to your neighbors? Will you pass the salt to some strangers? Will you pass the salt to your spouse, to your kids, to your mom, or to your dad? Will you pass the salt and dump it on your attitude? Will you pass the salt into the whole world so that they know that Jesus Christ is Lord? I guarantee you the saltiest people are the people that will be remembered for a lifetime.”

So, KayCee and Pastor Tim, I’ll join with you and perhaps we can all aspire to be Salty People!

Reference:

Ross, T. (2021, July 25). “Pass the Salt.” Summer Series Part 5. [Audio podcast]. Fresh Life Church. Retrieved from http://www.freshlife.church/messages/message.php?id=1252