Goodness

Jesus taught us, saying: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled under foot by men.’ Matthew 5:13

Goodness means moral excellence or virtue.  My oh my, how grey we have become.  A thousand little compromises every day.  Speaks one who spent four hours last night taking an online Arizona Defensive Driving Course.  My little five-miles-over-the-speed-limit slid up to seven, and boom, the motorcycle cop got me.  I had no idea how fast I was going or what the speed limit was.  I was just following the crowd.  And that is just the beginning.  Yikes!  Wayward thoughts: Hey everyone, notice how cool I am.  The little shadowing of truth that implies that of course I wasn’t late to work.  Uh, grabbing a handful of nuts way before the sun goes down on my fast that was just between me and God.  Surely each of us can name those the drop by drop compromises that pool in our life and have even possibly turned into a veritable tidal wave of mediocrity.  

This isn’t about the mega-church pastor being caught tangled up in hotel sheets with his Sunday School teacher.  Nor is about some sort of slimy journalist-type God who is peering behind each corner with his camera and notepad looking for pebbles to put on the “loser” side of our Great Scale in the Sky.  

  Yesterday a reminder echoed through the extended Voelkel chatline.  Heather remembered a word from Nicole: Just live the next five minutes the best you can.  No compromise.  Heather passed it along to me, who then tossed it to Zach away off in Virginia. This is about The God Who Loves Us and who is longing to serve a tasty Nicole-and-Marco type dish, full of lightly sauteed herbs and savorful spices and curly garnishes to a lost and very hungry world which fills the belly with warm goodness.

This is what the Holy Spirit tastes like.