How much are your pouring out?

Salt. Such a simple mineral that we so often overlook and take for granted. Our bodies can’t function without it, the world relies on it for more than we probably know, and the ancient world coveted it.

Probably the most well known verse pertaining to salt is Matthew 5:13. Jesus is speaking, and he’s sending his disciples out into the world to spread the good news & perform miracles. At the time, the world was dark and hurting and totally confused - worshipping all kinds of false gods and worldly creations. 

Sound familiar? It’s funny how history tends to repeat itself. But let’s look at this through the lens of education.

Do you ever wonder why education takes such a beating? Why teachers are always so worn out, why there’s always so much debate over schools and policies and procedures? Here’s why - educators have one of the most influential positions in our society. Education is raising up and molding our youth, our most precious societal asset, the one’s God has entrusted us to protect and guide and train up.

Educators are in such a valuable position of influence, they are therefore constantly targeted by the enemy. His goal is to steal and kill and destroy, and he does so from the inside out. He will create busyness and urgency, strife and chaos, exhaustion and depletion. His goal - to wear you down enough that you lose your ability to carry on THE mission - the Great Commission. If you’re weary and crabby and consumed with negativity, you are far less of a threat to him.

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells his disciples that they are the Salt of the Earth. But he then cautions them to “STAY salty” and adds “that when the salt loses its saltiness it’s no longer good for anything except to be trampled under foot.”

If WE are the Salt of the Earth, if WE have been positioned to spread good news and train up the next generation, to go into a dark and scary world . . . how do we continue doing that job well when we’re constantly being depleted? How do WE “STAY SALTY”?

The average human body is made up of about 40 tsp of table salt. Imagine yourself as a full cup of salt, and as you move through the day, more and more salt gets poured out of that cup. Here’s how the day “might” go:

• You’re filled up and head into the day. 

• Pours into FAMILY real quick in the morning

• Then onto WORK (way too much)

  • MORNING DUTY

  • STUDENTS

  • COLLEAGUES

  • ADMIN

  • DISTRICT EXPECTATIONS

  • CHORES (keeping room clean)

  • GRADES

  • SPED MEETINGS

  • SPED PAPERWORK

  • PARENT EMAILS

  • DUTIES

  • ORGANIZING

  • . . . you’re steadily pouring out as all of these things hit, and you’re nearing empty

  • Then back HOME TO LOVED ONES

  • Then if we have time, we might be able to pour into SELF (not enough)

  • Then by the end of the day what’s left? NOTHING!!

Where is the majority of our outpouring taking place? OUR JOBS. And we wonder why we are so exhausted, why our health is declining, why we are so short with our families when we get home, why we lose our temper and have no patience. It’s because we are depleted. Not only physically & emotionally, but spiritually! 

What makes this scenario even more damaging, is that instead of taking some time to get filled back up, we will get up the next day to do what we just did the day before. But instead of pouring from a full tank, we will be scraping for a few granules. 

We’ve all poured from an empty cup. But what happens when we do that over and over again? What do we have to show for it? What state is our family in? Our body? What state is your mind in? Your marriage? Are you starting to host some bitterness and resentment towards your job now?

Every day is filled with so much stuff that is just vying for our time and attention. It is absolutely imperative that we set healthy boundaries and take earnest time to make sure we are ready for the next day, because education IS a mission field.

To do what we do every single day, we have to be refueled. We have to be drawing from the source on a routine basis in order for us to keep up the pace that it takes to be an educator these days. Otherwise, according to Jesus, “we become useless, no longer good for anything except to be trampled under foot!” USELESS….to our students, to our families, to ourselves, and to our mission. Useless.

Staying Salty is a new commitment every single day. A simple strategy - stay plugged in and close to God. Give Him your trust, your worries, and your time. Spend time with Him every day to build your faith, ease your anxieties, and open your mind. When the world says this . . . turn to Him to see what He says about it. Give Him your fear instead of joining in with the voices of the world. Make Him the source of your confidence, knowledge, and strength. 

You might say that some alone time with God is the most important time you have all day. It is literally life for you. It’s everything you need to get through your day, and it is everything you need to get through your year. 

I want to leave you with this :

- Salt was so precious during war time that salt mines actually became military targets because cutting off a society’s access to salt meant a ripple effect of other necessities in life. 

What does it mean for our society if teachers are cut off? What does it mean if the enemy succeeds at numbing you and depleting you enough to dim your light?

You are Salt, Sweet Teacher . . . YOU are SALT. You are precious, coveted, and most importantly . . . you are NEEDED. Not just for your ability to provide an education, but for your ability to provide hope, and love, and strength, and courage.