Inspirational
Walking With Wisdom, Seasoning With Salt
Colossians 4: 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Been meditating on this text for quite some time now.
I noticed three main things here:
a) Thoughtful actions and life choices towards others
b) Awareness of the shortness of life
c) Intentional words that bring about a specific purpose
Now, notice that these three all relate to relationships with others. Interpersonal relationships are at stake, and there is urgency.
To rephrase, perhaps one could say:
“Life is short. Don’t waste it. Especially when it comes to relationships. Be wise in how you deal with others so as not to waste the short time that we all have. HOW do we not waste time? By treating others wisely with our ACTIONS and with our WORDS; unwise actions and words are a waste of time and a waste of life.”
So if we are serious with our Christian walk, we should all slow down for a bit. Just stop being in a rush and slow down. Think and assess yourself. Are you thoughtful when it comes to how you treat others? Do you think before you act? How will this or that action affect others? How will I make them feel? Will I make others feel more valued by me and by God by doing this? Or will I cause strain in the relationship if I do that?
How we treat others is a true indicator for wasting or redeeming time.
Now let’s get to the WORDS part.
If we think about it further, interpersonal relationships are composed of actions and words. But really, WORDS are what gives clarity to actions when it comes to relationships. Notice how many times we DO something and are misinterpreted, until we use WORDS to clarify our intentions? Or how many times have we DONE something wrong, and have needed to use WORDS to express remorse? Even when we DO restitution, it is with WORDS that we first promise restitution, and with WORDS that we know we are forgiven.
Christians want to hear the WORDS “Well done, my good and faithful servant” and not just get a pat on the back.
During Paul’s day, salt was mainly used for three things:
1- As a preservative; to prevent meat from decaying
2- As a seasoning; to bring out the full flavor of food
3- As a deodorant; to remove bad odours from things and places
Now think about your words.
When you talk to others, ask yourself these three questions:
1) Does your words preserve the relationship or does it cause the relationship to deteriorate?
2) Does your words bring out the best in the relationship?
3) Does your words remove the bad things in relationships?
Now, I’m not saying we should never correct others or that we should only talk about happy, pleasant, rainbow-ish things. Correcting one another IN A LOVING AND GRACIOUS WAY is actually good for relationships as it removes bad things! In the end, it really goes back to being intentional and mindful when it comes to our actions and words.
Slow down and think about it.
Intentional. Actions. Words.
Mindful. Actions. Words.
Thoughtful. Actions. Words.
Purposeful. Actions. Words.
Gracious. Actions. Words.
Now, as you close your computer or laptop or click X on this blog/ note, I hope you take the time to imagine and to pray.
Imagine:
Imagine how different your life would be if you could live out this one verse for a day. Imagine being aware, conscious, and mindful of ALL your actions and words for just a day. What changes would take place in that ONE day? Now, imagine the same thing for a week. A month. A year. A lifetime.
Pray:
Prayerfully, honestly, and humbly ask God to examine your actions and words towards others. This month, this week, this day. Has your actions and words been seasoned with wisdom and salt? Are there actions or words that you owe others? That you should do or say to others? That is something between you and God… and others.
O Lord, may our walk be with wisdom, and our words be seasoned with salt, SO THAT we honor You, by taking care of the relationships You have given us.
