The Power of Salt: Part Four

When I slipped on the ice and whacked my head on the asphalt, I was knocked unconscious. I woke up to my fellow fifth-graders staring down at me.

When I finally got to my feet, I was scared to tell anyone in authority what had happened. That fear stemmed from never wanting to tell my Dad anything, because most things made him intensely angry…especially making mistakes or getting injured.

A child ought to be able to run to their parent with an injury, trusting that their pain and fear will be handled with loving care and concern. But sometimes, parents that are too stern or easily angered can destroy that trust in authority.

That’s where I was…suffering a major concussion complete with memory loss, and too scared to tell anyone. I didn’t know the Lord then, so I couldn’t even call upon Him for help.

It’s so important for kids to have loving, Christian parents who are seasoned with God’s grace. I thank God for the Christian parents in my church who model the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Those parents are the “salty example” of God’s grace that their children need to keep them from slipping and falling into the destruction of this world.

The Lord showed me something recently that I’ve never considered in all the years since that concussion.

My Dad worked at the school as a maintenance man. One of his jobs, ironically enough, was to go around early in the morning and salt all of the entrances, sidewalks, and the outdoor basketball court.

But there was no salt on the icy court that day. Now, I’ve never blamed Dad for my injury and I still don’t, but this is the spiritual example the Lord showed me…

Had my Dad properly salted things, I may have never slipped. And had he spiritually salted my life early with God’s grace and salvation, I would have never felt so helpless and alone that day.

He got us into church two years later and I got saved along with he and my two siblings, praise God. But I just want to tell any parents reading this that you have a greater influence on your kids than you’ll ever know. May you have the grace, love, and spiritual salt to influence your children to have great faith in our great God today!

That way, if they ever slip and fall, they’ll likely fall forward toward the Lord, who will never leave nor forsake them.