another reason to be salt and light

Today in A Year with the Church Fathers, St Aphrahat talks to us about being salt and light. He gives us another reason why we should strive to be both.

Of course, we know that being salt and light means being a sanctifying, redeeming force in our culture. To bring "light" into the darkness around us, and help people to see what is true and what is false. To bring the light of joy into hearts that are struggling with the darkness of depression. To bring the light of reason into minds that are drowning in the lies of our modern culture.

And we're called to be salt. To bring flavor to the world around us. To make it more interesting and more beautiful. And to preserve it against decay, as salt does when used as a preservative.

But Aphrahat talks about our enemy. How the prince of darkness wants to destroy us, but being light keeps him from overwhelming us with that darkness. Aphrahat says that the enemy wants to devour us. But being salt prevents him from doing that. "When he creeps upon them like a serpent, they become salt which he cannot eat."

God is amazing in the way He solves problems. When the Pharisees tried to trap Him with their clever question, "Should we pay the temple tax?", He answers in a way that not only evades their trap (easily), but gives an answer that is so profound we are still gleaning wisdom from it 2000 years later.

When He tells us to be salt and light, it means so much that we can spend our lives unpacking it.

And when you bring Him your troubles and your sins, He doesn't just solve the problems and forgive the sins. He brings you past your trouble, beyond your sin, to a new life, a new hope that you never dreamed could exist.

He's good at that.

God, thank You for being far more than we could ever hope for.