Season To Taste

“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. (Colossians 4:6)

         I am afraid we sometimes get the instructions in this verse just backward. Our speech can easily get heavy on the salt with only a bit of grace sprinkled in here and there. Paul warns us about this, because it is important to know how as well as what to answer.

         We all know salt can give just the right zing to many foods, but have you ever cooked a pot of soup or beans and made the mistake of adding too much salt? Blaaa! I know they say you can throw in a potato and cook it a bit longer to soak up the saltiness; but, frankly, I’ve never had much luck with that tactic. No, once it’s there, it’s there, and you just have to be prepared for the complaints. The preventive, of course, is to salt sparingly, realizing you can add more later, if need be.

         It’s the same way with our speech. Go ahead and throw in lots of grace; it only sweetens the pot. But when it comes to the saltshaker, have a care. Salt is only appreciated if it not overpowering. And, likewise, an occasional sting in a conversation will engage someone’s attention far more if it isn’t dished out on a regular basis.

         You can tell a good cook by the way she seasons her food; and you can tell a wise woman by the way she seasons her speech.