“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Colossians 4:6 ESV

My family loves eggs and I make them almost every morning.  My son likes his eggs scrambled with ketchup on the side, my daughter and I like ham and cheese in our eggs (I tried to do the omelet thing but find it’s just easier to scramble them all together…and I just couldn’t master the omelet; will try again one day!), and my husband likes his fried with a runny yolk (if you could see my face, it’s saying eww).  Even though we all seem to have a different preference when it comes to our eggs, we all like a little salt on them, it’s something I do every time I make an egg, no matter then style.  Why?  Because it makes them taste better and adds a little more flavor.

“May your speech always be gracious and seasoned with salt…“

I love the fact that Paul used the word “always” in there.  Meaning, not just when you feel like it or when you agree with the person you are speaking to, but always.  Every time we open our mouths may they be filled with grace.  Grace, remember, is unmerited, not necessarily deserved.  Whew.  This is not always an easy task, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, we have the power to always speak with grace.

I also love that just speaking with grace wasn’t enough, Paul knew we needed another enhancement to our words–SALT.  Just a little extra seasoning on there because too much salt doesn’t taste good, does it?  Salt is used to enhance and preserve food; it even makes some foods more interesting.  This “salt” Paul is speaking of can sprinkle compassion and sensitivity into our tone of voice and the words we choose when we speak.  It’s interesting that we also use salt to melt ice; softening it or melting it to make travel safer and less destructive.  Ice is hard; salt melts it.  Hearts are hard; seasoning our words with salt may help melt hard hearts (even our own).

I love the Message version of Colossians 4:6 : “Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.” (if I could enter a heart icon here I would enter several-love this verse!)

Whatever you have to say (or post on social media), add some salt and grace to it.  Encourage others, build them up and magnify the Lord in all you say.  Perhaps what you want to say is something better left unsaid? Or perhaps with the Holy Spirit’s help you can say it in a way that is lovingly tasteful and respectful?

Be ready to share about Christ, His character and what He has done for you not necessarily what He needs to be doing for someone else.  Let’s keep the focus on the Lord working in our own lives and how we can grow to become more like our Savior.

I’ll leave you with another awesome verse on this matter:

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29 ESV

Oh Lord, our words.  We have so many.  Thank you that we can speak and communicate with one another, but please, Lord, help us to only speak what you would have us speak.  Help us to say it in the way you would have us say it.  May we embrace forgiveness when others hurt us with their words and may we acknowledge our own words that may have hurt others.  Help us, Oh God, to speak with grace ALWAYS and season each word that comes out of our mouths with salt- Your salt.  Salt of compassion, love and more grace.  We love you and we praise You for Your Word to guide us.  AMEN.

An Activity for the KIDS!

~Have your children help you make two batches of eggs – your preference on how you cook them 🙂

~Have them season one batch with salt, leaving the other plain

~Try them! See which they like better.  Hopefully it will be the salted ones 😉

~Talk about Colossians 4:6 and how just as the salt makes the eggs taste better, when we “season” our own words with salt, our words taste better; they are said better.  Have them make a list of what they think “salt” could mean for them (things like love, compassion, sensitivity, grace, and a loving, encouraging tone of voice, etc…)

~If someone in your family is having a hard time speaking in a loving tone or struggling with the right words to say, have them carry around an empty salt container throughout the day to remind them of Colossians 4:6.  Write the verse on a sticky note and tape it to the salt container if you can.  You could also put the salt shaker somewhere they can see it from time to time (or just add it to the mustard seeds on the dashboard of the car 😉 If you missed the video blog (vlog?) on the mustard seeds, click here to view it!)

~Have your children memorize this verse

~Let your children always be the ones to help you season your food with salt

BTW- I think I’m going to just go on and get my very own salt container to carry around because I know my words can be better said and conveyed if I’m reminded of the seasoning that’s needed to infuse my words with Christ’s words. So if you see me with my salt shaker, you’ll know why.  I need this as much as anyone, especially when it comes to speaking to my own precious children and husband.  Often my words to others outside my home can be more gracious but I can’t forget that God starts in our hearts and in our homes.  What I do here matters more than what I do anywhere else.

“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:9 (insert another heart icon)

With love, grace, and salt…Sarah 🙂