“You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”
— Matthew 5:13–14

Salt is a small thing, but it changes everything.

It preserves what would otherwise spoil.
It brings out flavor where things feel bland.
And sometimes—let’s be honest—it irritates before it heals.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does not ask his followers to become salt and light. He names them as such. This is not a future goal or a spiritual achievement. It is an identity.

To be salt is to show up in the world in ways that preserve dignity and tell the truth.
To be light is to refuse hiding hope when the world feels dim.

But salt can lose its flavor. Light can be covered up. Faith can be watered down when it costs us comfort, when accountability feels hard, or when grace is confused with avoidance.

Jesus’ call is not to cheap grace or easy forgiveness. It is a call to love that is honest, courageous, and rooted in justice. Love that holds one another accountable without becoming cruel. Love that refuses to forget harm while still choosing a future shaped by mercy.

This week, lean into the simple but challenging question Jesus places before us:

Where is God calling you to be salt?

Maybe it looks like preserving what is good when others are ready to give up.
Maybe it looks like speaking truth when silence feels easier.
Maybe it looks like releasing resentment so that God’s transforming love has room to work.

And where is God inviting you to let your light shine?

Not for recognition.
Not for righteousness points.
But so that others might glimpse a kingdom shaped by justice, peace, and dignity for all.

We are made of dust and salt.
We are held by grace and called to love.

Lean into the week knowing this:
You already carry what the world needs.