Be a salty person

Jesus, help me try my best to be 'the salt of the earth!' Amen.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, it's no good," said Jesus. "You are the light of the world, and people don't hide lamps under baskets -- they put them on tables to fill the whole house with light. Let your light shine like a lamp, so everyone can see God in you!"

Everybody's trying to lose weight these days. It seems like adults are always talking about kids eating too much fast food and ending up overweight.

Why do people like burgers and fries so much? One reason is that they're salty. Foods with a lot of salt and fat in them aren't good for us, but they often taste really good.

Even Jesus talked about salt. In this week's Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16), He uses it as an example, because it was something people liked back in His time.

Jesus calls people "the salt of the earth." He wants them to spice up the world -- to use their gifts and talents to help other people and follow Him. Just as salt can make food taste better, people can make the world better.

Of course, salt that isn't salty wouldn't make anything taste better! Jesus warns that people shouldn't be like salt that's lost its flavor. He means that God gives everyone talents: Some kids can persuade their friends to give up their allowances for a charity; others collect cans and give the money to tsunami victims. But people who don't do whatever they can to help others are like un-salty salt: They don't add anything to make life better.

We're not supposed to eat salty, fatty foods, but we can still be salty people. Jesus wanted everyone to be "the salt of the earth!"