“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:13-16
What does it mean to be “salt and light?” For context, let’s remember that this passage comes right after the Beatitudes and Jesus is talking to a crowd of outcasts gathered on the fringes of society and has been telling them they’re blessed when they are meek and mourning and persecuted and poor in spirit.
So before you put on your “salt and light” game face and pretend to be something you’re not, remember that the Beatitudes still apply and the rules are still the flipped, upside-down, counter-intuitive rules of the Kingdom of God.
You will fail, you will fear, you will hurt, you will feel lost, you will be persecuted, and that’s when you’ll understand the flavor the salt brings, and the hope the light offers.
And then you will relay that light to the broken world.
The light has come into the world, and he loves you.
Go in Peace.