It’s the middle of winter, the golf ball is hiding in the bag after the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina received up to 15 inches of snow and your NFL team just got hammered in the playoffs. The Y is jammed and your personality is attempting to emulate Ebenezer Scrooge. As the treadmill goes to work on your holiday overage your survival mode kicks in by wandering to a warm breezy summer day with a freshly picked tomato in your hand. You take a bite and relish at the homegrown taste. But! Something is missing that will take this gorgeous ruby fruit to the next level. Salt! Adding what is readily available that can make quite an impact. Let’s ponder on that as some of us try to take our focus off the BLT Sammie.
As we delve into fine tuning the field of adding value, a common theme for the first quarter of every new year, we have this somewhat annoying but necessary phrase knocking on our conscience door. “How can I improve?” After being alive for the Waterford Crystal Ball dropping 70 times my mindset goes to what can I get out of myself that I am not utilizing to its fullest.
I believe we all have experiences in our life that hang around upstairs just to make sure we continue to understand their importance to our journey. Singed in my brain is a discussion / being yelled at, by my junior varsity basketball coach. Playing practically the whole game with only a few breathers I thought I made a conscientious effort of not having any personal fouls. My coach in his demonstrative way, was quite clear in correcting my high opinion with this analogy. “ If you don’t have any fouls called on you, it simply means you have not engaged enough in playing defense, rebounding and trying to drive to the bucket with the ball. So quit trying to be passive (cleaning up his version of motivating vocabulary) and get more involved in the game!”
From that teaching moment and other experiences I learned that I needed to push myself when it came to certain activities outside of my comfort zone. We were all given unique gifts by God when we were born. Some of those gifts are natural and don’t require much polishing. Others we have to put in the hours to master the crafts that attract us. Utilizing those talents to contribute to society is my personal focus. Making an uncomfortable action step without a buddy for support can be quite taxing, regardless of the time of year. I can hear an echo that says give me a feel good story so I can build on my mental LEGOs wall of confidence. I happen to love Christmas caroling and thankfully I got the nerve up to go with a church group to carol at some retirement homes and shut-ins in December. The nerve came from not being a church member so it was quite possible I would not know anybody that was going to be caroling. The other factor that caused concern was my lack of knowledge of musical notes. I find myself singing sometimes in Key West and other times in Key Largo. Needless to say the event was invigorating. I got to know three folks while driving from site to site and the response from the recipients was priceless. I bet you have many stories like this yourself.
Here is some constructive research if we are compelled to improve in 2026. If you Google – salt meaning in the Bible and go to “Flavor & Influence: Jesus calls followers “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) implying they should bring flavor, wisdom, and moral preserving influence to society, preventing corruption.”
Repeating a line I hear often is, I just want to improve 1% today. I believe helping others by getting the most out of our own attributes brings happiness to all.
All this chatter has given me incentive. As I have a tendency to use food in many of my illustrations, I am going to stop being a Lazy Susan and twirl that whirling cabinet until Vanna says “S.” Ah, let me do this right. Even though my brain is contemplating several excuses, I am spurred on by Teddy Roosevelt’s speech, “The Man in the Arena.”
As my noggin reverberates, “Use what has been given to you,” I am moving on to the G’s. Garlic Salt please.
Speaking of stretching oneself, I have undertaken reading the whole bible this year. I’m using the “Bible recap”and so far I’m on track. Wow! A real challenge for me is that a dear friend recently passed away and his family has asked me to lead a grave side service. Certainly out of my comfort zone but I am trusting on the Lord to guide me. Lots of thoughts are going through my noggin. Thanks for your article
Rick, you are stretching yourself! Quite a task of reading the bible in one year.
Plus leading a grave side service. Good for you trusting the Lord. It will turn out well.
Thanks for your comment and your courage.
It’s about the dash…between birth and death on our tombstone. How a person lives, loves, and makes a difference. There is plenty of room for improvement and no guarantee how long the dash will last. Thanks Bob for helping me to stay focused on a Christ centered life.
I love how you phrase it David! With a Christ centered life the supply of salt is endless.
Hey my friend, you have really done it this time. You kept my memory bank on high alert throughout reading this blog. It will always amaze me , in your writing style, how you are able to delve into the minds of the readers. Bringing back to mind things that happened in their past, good or bad. I thank you and as always say, write on my dear friend, write on! And if you could not tell, I really enjoyed this blog.
I appreciate your kind words Richard. Hopefully the good memories won this round!
This is my favorite blog entry of yours, and it’s not only because you stretched yourself to use that beautiful resonant voice of yours to bring some joy to others. The theme is a powerful one and you stuck to it without trying to bring other observations into the post, a challenge that I, too, face when I have so much to say. Your descriptors really reach out to our senses, especially visual and taste😁! Our English teacher Mom would be very proud! We all need to Keep on Stretchin’ (a play on Pennsylvania’s lottery commercial with Punxatawny Phil, the groundhog saying Keep on Scratchin’ – your lottery ticket!)
Cheryl, I really enjoyed your comments and kind words. It almost sounds like we are related! I particularly love your slogan, Keep On Stretchin’
Nice article sir! Salt definitely enhances the tomato’s flavor and my mouth is watering thinking of 2 big BLT sannys with garden tomatoes. Good job putting Jesus’s words to practice and enhancing other people’s lives with your caroling.
I don’t think youve told the JV bball story before. I can hear your coach telling himself or an assistant after you walked away, “thatll get him going.”
Thanks Brett! Got to love BLTs with home grown Tomatoes! Creatively speaking, the addition of salt is a difference maker.
And, right before the Salt lesson are The Beatitudes…one being “blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God”. We need peacemakers, especially today.
Salt of the earth and light of the World. Salt and Light. Such simple imagery for Christ to teach us with. Such important directives. Thank you, Bob, for giving me this lesson to study.
Yes Gigi, two great lessons, Salt of the earth and Light of the World. Thank you for highlighting those
extremely important teaching moments by Jesus!