Many years ago, when we were engaged, Brett cooked dinner for me for the very first time. I showed up at his apartment after a long day of work eager to eat a hot meal prepared by someone else. We sat down at the table, plated our chicken, and then I took a bite. It was horrible. Inedible. I don’t remember what we ended up eating that night, but it most definitely was not that chicken. In an endearing effort to be creative, Brett had seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper. And seasoned salt. And garlic salt. The poor chicken was drowning in salt. It was bad.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let you speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Colossians 4:5-6
Isn’t this instruction relatable? If you’ve taken a bite of anything with too much salt, you know how off-putting salt is in over-abundance. It’s gross. It doesn’t matter how excellent the dish would be otherwise. Similarly, an under-seasoned dish is bland and forgettable.
We’d be wise to take these words to heart as they relate to our speech. If you’ve read anything in the news or spent any time at all on social media lately, it ought to be clear just how necessary Paul’s words are. I’m seeing plenty of salty comments being hurled about. With the added stress and uncertainty surrounding this whole pandemic, it seems as though many are just thoughtlessly heaping salt on opinions and feelings before launching them out into the world. I know I’ve caught myself in a reactionary style of communication a time or two lately! It’s not effective.
But there’s a better way! What might it look like today if we pause prior to our responses, and consider graciousness? If we purposely season our words, as we would our food, to make them appealing, tasteful, and intentional?
As for Brett’s cooking…he’s come a long way, friends! He’s added a whole array of spices and seasonings to his cooking repertoire since that autumn day back in 2002. And he’s learned to use salt in delicious proportion. Hopefully it won’t be too much longer before some of you are at our table once again.
Love,
Kate
Thoughts from The Yellow House 