Running on Salty Paths

I'm a bit behind in blogging. So quickly to update, I ran 3 miles on Sunday, inside on the treadmill. Tuesday I ran 4 miles outside and today I ran another 4 miles outside.

The past two times I have run outside I have had to dodge a few snow piles, a few ice patches and run over salt covered pavement. Sometimes the salt was so abundant, one would almost think the bottom of the salt truck fell out leaving a major pile. In other places it was more evenly scattered and then other parts of the pavement there was no salt to speak of at all.

I thought about salt and my life. Jesus says in Matthew 5:13 that I am the "salt of the earth." I would have to say that my life has a similar reflection of the salt I saw on the ground as I ran recently. Sometimes I have seen my life be a little too salty. In other words, I've been a little over the top and have used my Christianity a little too sharply or wielded God's Word, also referred to as a sword in Scripture, too carelessly. Some may have been wounded in the way and perhaps have been discouraged from a life of faith. This is indeed not good. Think of dumping a pile of salt on a good piece of steak. It ruins the taste of the meat. You wouldn't want to eat it. Salt is good, but only when used in appropriate amounts. Then there have been times in my life when there has been an absence of salt altogether. Times like these come when I am not in the Word, in prayer, or in fellowship with the community of saints of a local church assembly. When I make sure these things are active in my life they keep a steady flow of salt coming. Communion with God keeps the flavor of Christ coming through the flow of His Spirit into my life. Only then can I be "the salt of the world" that God has calld me to be.

Today as I ran and observed where the salt was too thick, too thin and evenly distributed, I couldn't help but pray that God would pour on the salt in my life in such a way that is just right - "seasoned" according to the flow of His Spirit. I do want to be a Christian that not only has to run in the physical on salty paths when winter comes from time to time, but also a Christian that is running on steady salty paths of the race of faith.