Tuesday, March 27, 2012

A Little Salt Goes a Long Way

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” (Matthew 5:13 NIV)

Isabel sat up from her hunched position and stretched her arms and back. Ow! that hurt. She glanced at the clock and realized she’d been working on her mosaic project in that position for over two hours. The pieces of broken porcelain and sea glass were all laid out on Isa’s table, ready to glue onto the tile.

Tomorrow was Auntie's anniversary, and she wanted to finish the project tonight and let it dry overnight. Auntie liked frogs, so Isa had designed a frog sitting on a lily pad. Up close, it was hard to see the frog, but from a few feet away, the subtle colors blended together and the frog emerged from the pattern.

“Isa!” her mother called, “Chandler’s on the phone.”

Isa picked up the phone in the kitchen. “Hey, Chandler,” she said, walking back to her room as she talked. “Where are you? Isn’t this your small group night?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t go. I had too much homework. Besides, I decided I can be a good Christian without going to small group.”

Isa surveyed the mosaic layout on the table and frowned. “Um,” she said, distracted by her work. Something Chandler said didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t decide what bothered her. Right now, she only wanted to finish this project.

“Now I have to glue everything on.” She wedged the phone between her ear and shoulder and reached for the bottle of glue. This was the very best glue—it was super strong.

“What are you talking about?” Chandler asked.

“I’m doing a mosaic for my aunt, and now I have to glue it on.”

The bottle felt light. Isabel turned it upside down and squeezed, but only feeble trails mixed with air sprayed out. “Uh-oh, I don’t think there’s any left.” She looked at the clock again. “It’s too late to go to the crafts store—even if Mom or Dad would even take me this late.”

“Mix some water in the glue,” Chandler said. “If it’s super strong now, it will still work if you dilute it.”

“Good idea!” Isa squirted as much as she could get out of the bottle into a bowl. Then she added a few drops of water and stirred with a paintbrush. But there still wasn’t enough glue for the frog. “I have to add more water,” she said, but when she added more, there still wasn’t enough.

Besides, it looked really weird. Isa lifted the brush from the bowl, and the watered-down glue dripped and splattered like milk onto the table. “Um, that’s not even glue anymore. It’s not going to stick to anything. I’ll have to throw it out.”

Suddenly, she knew what bothered her about what Chandler had said. “You still there, Chandler? You know, you should have gone to your small group tonight.”

***
When Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” he meant that you as a Christian are unique—you stand out among people who don't follow him. As salt, you can help them come to know, love, and serve God.

Here are some questions for you:
1. What does glue do, and what was Isa trying to do with it?
2. What happened to the glue when Isa added water to it?
3. Why did Isa tell Chandler she should have gone to her small group meeting?
4. What are some things you can do to keep your saltiness?

God bless!
Marilyn

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