A Year With God, Day 46 of 366

Matthew 5:13

"You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything,  except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

On my way home tonight, I chewed a piece of gum.  And I started to think about the qualities I like in gum.  I like a long-lasting flavor, and a texture that doesn't get hard after only a few minutes of chewing.

Then I remembered Matthew 5:13, and suddenly envisioned chewing gum as a picture of the Christian life.

As Christians, we need to make sure the 'flavor' of Christ is evident in our life-- a crisp minty flavor that refreshes us.  And we need to stay pliable, even after getting chewed on.  But at the same time, we have to hold our form, and not be swayed by earthly things.  We can't disintigrate like a cheap peice of bubble gum that turns to mush in your mouth on a hot afternoon.

And we have to be persistant.  Because sometimes, the only way to get through to some people is to stick with them, like a wad of gum in their hair.

I hope eveyrone finds this analogy amusing, and not gross.