Writing Salty Words

Adding Salt to our Writing by Debbie Roome
There are wonderful word pictures in the Bible and I love this verse from Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (NIV)

Although this refers to our spoken conversation, I believe it also applies to our written words. I’ve been thinking about salt this week and did some searching to find out some facts about it:

· Salt is a preservative and is used when drying fish and meat
· Salt cleanses and can be used wash out wounds and prevent infection
· Salt can be used to remove stains and dirt
· Salt adds flavour to food

So why would God compare our words to salt? Looking at the above points I can see some interesting parallels for our daily life:

· Do our words preserve righteousness? Do we write about topics that encourage people to live Godly lives or do people have to read our bio before they realise we are a Christian
· Have you ever been happy engaging in an activity until someone pointed out what was wrong with it? Our words can bring cleansing by teaching the truth of God’s word
· How do our words influence or affect others? By writing about God’s love and grace and mercy, we can help people to the place where they accept God and his forgiveness
· Salt adds flavour to food. Do our words bring out the best in other people and encourage them to live for God

Salt is a simple everyday substance that so many of us take for granted. If we are willing to learn about it, we will find it has many useful properties. In some situations we may need a slight shake of salt and other times a heaped tablespoon. Give it some thought this week and ask God to use your words – written and spoken – to add salt to the lives of those around you.

Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Visit her at Debbie Roome or read some of her work at Suite 101 , Take Root and Write and Faithwriters.