How many times have you heard someone describe another person as being like salt?  

Growing up, I heard that expression many times from my grandmother about someone she considered to be an upstanding, down-to-earth person of integrity who was honest and reliable. She would say something like, “He’s a good sort—the very salt of the earth!” Of course, I later realized that the saying originated in the bible, quoted from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. 

In my bible, a present from my grandfather, he inscribed, “let your light shine forth.” I expect you hear similar words spoken today that encourage you to shine your light.

“You are the salt of the earth.” Matthew 5:13
“You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14

I have had plenty of time during the three or four months of Covid-19 lockdowns to digest the tragic loss of life in the pandemic, and to observe the troubling acts of violence, looting, and blatant disregard for law and order. I have seen anarchists claim autonomous zones in cities, while authorities stand back and do nothing. Things are chaotic. Those who read my blog regularly, or who have read my book My Soul Sings for You, understand what I mean when I refer to the life and times of now—the beautiful, crazy, but often worrying, time of life in which we find ourselves today. We are in it—up to our necks! I have had cause to evaluate what is taking place in the world.

Who could have predicted all that happened so quickly? It is mind-boggling, and head-spinning isn’t it? And yet maybe it isn’t! Perhaps things have been slowly brewing unnoticed and needed a spark to ignite an insane kind of craziness that has turned the world upside down.

The world, as we knew it six to twelve months ago, is rapidly disappearing, forcing each of us to adjust our sails as the winds of change blow hither and thither. We know that a ship, without a course, is controlled by ocean currents and prevailing winds. A vessel will be tossed around at the mercy of the ocean, washing it up on a sand bar, or dashing it onto rocks, or carrying it to a distant land, depositing its passengers in a foreign place, far from the comforts of home.

That scenario is a lot like life. With no plan, no destination, no direction, no course of action, how can you steer your life, your next chapter, or determine your next move? With no idea where you are going or where you stand, how will you ever survive the roller-coaster of life today, with its numerous ups and downs? How will you navigate through the storms if you don’t see them coming, or you have not prepared?

Maybe the time has come to put Jesus at the helm of your life.

May I ask you a couple of questions? Are you ready to abandon fear? Will you banish anxiety and stand firmly on faith? As a seed of God planted here on earth, are you prepared to share God’s Kingdom wherever you are and whenever you can? Will you be the example of salt and light? What if you were born for such a time as this?

The whole earth is groaning. Do you agree? Perhaps God is calling each of us to embrace our identity as His sons and daughters—to set aside the complacency we might have felt before the pandemic hit so we can fulfill our destiny and purpose at this time.

Is He calling your name? Will you answer His call?

The enemy, Satan, is trolling for souls. He has an evil plan—to turn nation against nation, destroy family relationships, and seduce humanity to revolt against God. He influences all who are willing to succumb to his deception, evil ploys, and temptations. While some are focused on protecting and preserving their lifestyle, the enemy is busily implanting the spirits of fear, sickness, confusion, and distraction into those who are blind to his antics. He will cunningly divert your attention from God, shake your faith, and confuse you.

Are you reeling from all you see and hear right now? Do you find yourself asking questions like, “How could they do that?” or “What, were they thinking?” or “How can someone in authority make choices like that, or say what they did?”

If you are confused, and nothing seems to make sense, or if you are baffled by irrational behavior, causing you to think the world has gone crazy, it’s not you. If you see that right and wrong have flipped places and are mixed up in the chaotic craziness, know that it is the way the enemy works. He influences even intelligent, educated people who fall prey to his wickedness. That is why discernment and truth are paramount.

I know you might read this and disagree, or find it hard to believe. So be it. I am merely a humble messenger. If you are a nonbeliever, I hope you will seek God for yourself. If you choose to reject God, that is your prerogative. Please understand that if you accept a living God, then you know that His enemy, Satan, also lives and plots destruction to the earth and humanity. There was a time many years ago when I dismissed thoughts about the devil, but since then, I’ve had personal experiences with his evil, so I must share what I believe to be the truth about events in the world.  

We must immerse ourselves in Christ and put on His armor. Go forth as the salt of the earth and shine your light in the darkness. Spread hope in the world.

Do you hear God calling you by name?

 

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.     —Romans 8:19-22 (NIV)