A God Flavored Creation

   Before I went to walk this morning, I read the next verse in Matthew 5, the one I would focus on today. From The Message, verse 13:

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage."

   And from the New King James, same verse:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."

   And then I thought about those words as I walked along the path. And the question:

   What is the role of the Christian in the world today? To be salt, and what does salt do?

   According to the verse in The Message, it brings out the God-flavors of this earth.

   So as I walked, I stopped and talked to three people, an ex-neighbor, a friend and a lady with a hurt dog. In my mind I could see how I could be salt to each of those, just by stopping to talk, treating them as important enough to have a conversation, and not just keeping on with my walking.

   But was there more to the time spent out there? What else did I see or hear that spoke of the God-flavors of my world?

   Well, there was a turkey buzzard sitting by the cart path, one who flew away as I approached. There was that turtle, one of the type that inhabit the ponds on the course. He was on dry land, heading south, evidently moving his habitat from the pond on #4 back to the one on #3, slowly but surely, and then the rabbit eating the new grass beside the marsh.

   Now no one was in earshot so I talked to each of these, asking about their day, what they were about, and, in the case of the turtle, why he was moving, especially when it took such effort and such a long time.

   I thought back to the story of St. Francis, who, according to legend, preached to the animals as they gathered around him and gave him their attention.

   Then I wondered about those creatures. They didn't talk back to me, they gave no indication that they even heard my low voice, did they think about me at all?

   Francis would have said, and maybe did, that we should respect all the creation of God. People, animals and all the plant life as well. He was an ecological monk for sure.

   Respect the creation and worship the Creator

   And forget about the guy talking to the turtle.

   Probably a lot of chuckles among the turtles in pond #3, when they heard that story.

   Funny Farm material.....