"[Jesus said,] 'You are the salt of the earth.'" - Matthew 5:13a
So Amanda and I were driving from Dismals Canyon, where we're staying, to Natural Bridge Park about 30 minutes away. All of this is in the proverbial "middle of nowhere." So when we both noted that we were hungry and wanted to get a bite to eat, there wasn't a whole lot to choose from. Translation, nothing to choose from.
Except "D's Cafe."
So we stopped. Got out of the car. Stepped to the other side of the dog at the door. And went in.
We stopped again.
Empty food warmers. Almost empty food warmers. Along with patrons and employees that time, hygienists, dentists, barbers, and English teachers forgot.
The Holy Spirit whispered, "Come on in."
So we did.
Everything tasted like my Gram Yost's. (That's my mom's late mom, Helen, for whom my sister Cheryl's daughter is named.) To say "Everything tasted like my Gram Yost's" is to say it was all salty. The country fried steak, the gravy, the mashed taters, the green beans, and, especially, the pinto beans, which must've bathed in salt for a week. Even the chocolate pudding and cake had a hint of salt. It's all done that way for the preservin'. Ya know, saltin' it to make sure the food stays good. Until the food warmer's empty, or almost empty. It's the country way.
It's God's way.
Because as salty as the food was, it was nothin' compared to the people. Ya know, the patrons and employees that time, hygienists, dentists, barbers, and English teachers forgot. Country people.
God's people.
People who made sure the hospitality and the care and the interested questions and the "ya' got enough of this, that, or the other?" stayed good. And that my wife got escorted to the clean restroom instead of "the guys' dirty ol' restroom." Until the food warmer's empty, or almost empty. Ya know, until the last people had eaten before closing.
It's the country way.
It's God's way.
Ya know, to be salt. And make sure the goodness and the love is spread around til the end.
"[Jesus said,] 'You are the salt of the earth.'" - Matthew 5:13a
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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