“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness; how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13
Who among us doesn’t like tacos? I think many of us like them so much we make it a point to celebrate “Taco Tuesday” as often as possible. They are a delicious dinner and incredibly versatile. You can have the regular ground beef taco, or you can make your tacos with chicken, fish, shrimp, pork, even veggies as you make whatever delicious filling you desire for your taco shells. Even the shells give us lots of options as we can have soft or hard shell. We can even choose carb reduced soft shells for those watching their carbs. Tacos give us so many options it can be hard to choose exactly what we want. But never fear…you can order several different kinds to satisfy your taste buds. I think there are enough taco options out there, that you could have a different taco for every Tuesday in any given year. That might be an exaggeration…But it would be fun to try!
So, you might be wondering why I am talking about tacos…well many years ago we had a delightful volunteer who worked in our church office every Tuesday as a receptionist. Her name was Gerry and she loved tacos. Every Tuesday we would all get tacos from Taco Bell which is near the church office. Gerry would be so excited about Taco Tuesday. Anyway, I have been thinking about her and many other people who have died over the years but who have made an impact on my life, giving of their time and talents as they passed their knowledge on to the next generation. And I am quite sure there will be more I will meet in the future that will nurture and enlighten me and others as we all continue our journeys through life.
And part of the reason I began thinking about Gerry, was her love of tacos. That and I think tacos teach us a valuable lesson. Actually, I think they teach many valuable lessons. They are fun. They are flexible to what ingredients you can use to create your taco masterpiece. And…they are full of exciting flavors.
Life should be fun. We get so caught up in all the things we think we need to do; we forget to have fun. I mean go read the gospels…you will discover that Jesus had fun all the time. We forget that we are designed to take a sabbath rest to enjoy life and the fruits of our labors. Gerry really enjoyed her tacos. She would stop her volunteer work when whoever when to get the tacos came back and she savored every bite as we stopped to enjoy our lunch break. When was the last time any of us savored life? When did we stop and just take in the world around us and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells. If we are honest with ourselves, we probably don’t do it as often as we should.
We should be flexible. Tacos can be made with whatever we have on hand. We don’t have to follow a recipe to make them taste good. Just add all the things we enjoy eating in a corn or flour tortilla shell. As life happens, sometimes, we need to make do with what we have on hand. We should not get bent out of shape just because something has changed, or we need to do things in a different way. Being flexible means, we are able to just go with the flow or be content with what is on hand and not cause a ruckus. Because who needs a ruckus? And depending on which dictionary you use…a ruckus is worse than a rumpus…just so you know. Although sometimes it is just the opposite…a little diversity of thought.
Finally, tacos are full of flavors. Life is meant to be filled with diversity. We learn most when we are surrounded by people who think differently, act differently, and who challenge our ideas. Like why can’t barns be painted purple? Or why can’t we have chocolate cake for breakfast? Silly questions to be sure but when we are surrounded by diversity, we also get challenged by the hard questions…the ones with no easy answers.
The thing is: There are just so many questions we could ask. But too often, we just do as people expect. Asking “why” questions specifically, lets be creative. It lets us think outside the box as we realize we can add flavor to the things we do and adding flavor isn’t a bad thing. Flavor is what gives life it’s zest! Even Jesus called us to be salt in the world as we add flavor and zest through our witness of Jesus’ saving grace.
Tomorrow is Tuesday…I think, I will have a couple tacos. Why don’t you join me?
Peace,
Pastor Beth
Beth's Blog 