Preserver of All Things Good

10 x 10Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth..."

Salt.. 1. A colorless or white solid chiefly used as a food seasoning and preservative. 2. An element that gives flavor or zest

You are the salt of the earth. Jesus says. A seasoning. A preservative. The flavor of Christ. You are the preserver of all things good, the preventer of moral decay. Salt, a preserver of food that nourishes our bodies. Me, You. Preservers of good things that nourish souls.

What am I called to preserve in this lifetime you have given me? Hearts, I hear. The hearts of my children, the heart of my husband, the hearts of family and friends, my own heart. How do I guard these hearts you have entrusted to me? Remind your children, your husband, yourself who they are and whose they are. Keep truth always before you.

Be proactive, I hear God say. Salt is not passive. Salt is aggressive in its preserving, in its pulling water out of meat so that it will not spoil. It has a job to do, is active in its fight against decay. It draws out those things that will spoil what is good, removes the elements that allow decay to creep in.

Father, let me be active in preserving the things in this world that are good, your Word, your truths, your ways. Is that what these paintings are Lord? Preservers of truth. Salt to my children, your children, a way for them to see that a life in Christ is joy and color and life. A seasoning to go with your word, the good food you have given us. A way to preserve their hearts, instilling truth to keep decay from setting in.

As I paint and write, I see you working, Lord, removing the elements in my own heart that could bring about the decay of your children’s hearts. Control, impatience, my always rushing, my desire for approval… Remove these Lord, that I may better preserve hearts. Make me saltier, Father, that my loved ones would taste of you. I pray that my love, your love, would seep deep down into the meat of their hearts, making them more tender to the truths of the gospel.

Thank you for your patience and your grace in my unsalty moments. Teach me to walk in the truth of who I am, your salt being poured out over the earth, preserving and adding flavor. Keep that truth at the center of my heart like the salt shaker that sits at the center of my table. Keep reminding me of who I am and whose I am. The salt of the earth, chosen salt to be poured out to accomplish your purposes.

I am the salt of the earth. Let me live as though that were true...

In the name of Jesus. Amen