My first lesson in being Salty, turned out pretty salty (pun intended). I was 21 and coming into my own. One night I was eating at Denny’s and reading my Bible. It was past ten at night and only a couple of people were there. I prayed, “Lord, please bring me someone that I can tell about Jesus. The words were no more prayed when a man and his date walked in.
The man was about five-foot ten. He was a wide as he was tall with solid muscle. If you envision a caricature of an overly muscled man, that is a good place to start. He wore a red muscle shirt with shoulder straps barely existing and the rest hanging on his body as if his muscles where shredding it with every flex and movement. His pants were spandex and looked as if they were trying to be a second skin more than a coving. His date was his perfect match. She was a couple inches taller, but that may have been more due to the heels she wore. They were so tall a circus performer would have been jealous. She sported a leopard skin mini skirt, with the emphasis on “mini” and almost ignoring “skirt.”
Jesus said, “Ok, tell them about me.” I simply replied, “not this time, Lord.”
This encounter could have gone horribly wrong with the police finding me in a dumpster somewhere. It could have been humiliating with them mocking and laughing. It could have gone really well, with them receiving eternal life. I will never know, and I have regretted that decision ever since. Like the 80’s expression says, I felt pretty salty.
There have many other times in my life where I was able to be “salt” in someone’s life. Some went poorly, most turned out well. This story has been here to encourage me and others to continue to take the risk each and every day.