To be honest, much of what is said and done via the internet bothers me and the reason is this: we are seeing so many people who wouldn't dare to make statements of this nature in "real life," yet when they sit behind their keyboard, they become all fired up and uninhibited. The problem is that people are getting fired up over the wrong reasons and as a result, they are utterly destroying their witness and assassinating their own character.
Now, I COULD discuss the fact that Karma is NOT found in the Bible and is part of another religion entirely, but I won't. I am going to stick to my subject here (surprising I know) and speak to the fact that many Christians have trouble with "Salty Speech or Salted Fields."
As you may or may not know, many times when a conquering army breached the walls of the city or town that they had fought against and they dragged the defeated people away, the conquerors would sow salt into the fields around the city. The purpose of that would be to ensure that nothing would grow for a very long time.
By doing this, the conquering army ensured that their enemy would not return to the city which had been taken. This was done most notably at the conclusion of the Third Punic War between the Republic of Rome and Carthage (a Phoenician colony) which took place approximately between 149-146 BC. When Rome sacked Carthage, they sowed salt into the fields so that any remaining Carthaginians would be unable to grow any crops in that location.
Simply put, this was a very destructive process. It was an action that was so damaging that it could not be taken back. By the same token, we as Christians are told in Colossians 4:5-6, "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."
A little bit of salt has been proven to be good for you. A recent study showed that people who had a small amount of salt each day had considerably fewer cases of heart disease than people who had a lot, or none at all in their diet. Salt is almost a necessity in our lives for proper health (as long as it is within reason). That is the key though; we must have it in reason.
Our speech is to be "seasoned with salt" not overflowing with it. Normally when I read the kind of status that I am writing about, I just keep my mouth shut and shake my head. Last night though, I had to make a statement of my own. This is what I wrote, "I am of the opinion that far too many people take things too far. Instead of having their speech savoured as with salt, they decide to sow salt into the fields of people's lives. Nothing will grow in salted fields, and a love for the Christ you claim to worship will certainly not grow in a life that you have poisoned with your speech."
I do not regret what I wrote because I am not afraid to take a stand. I get infuriated when I read posts that attempt to shame you into reposting them. I am NOT ashamed of Jesus Christ, my Lord, but I will NOT post a status that is telling people to go back to their own countries if they don't agree with Christmas. I wholeheartedly believe that we need to keep Christ in Christmas, but picking on immigrants will not solve the issue. Must I remind us all that the majority of our country immigrated here at some point? Unless your ancestry is 100% pure Native, then you are descended from an immigrant!
I guess the gist of what I am trying to say is this: don't post things that are hateful. Don't post things that are mean or cruel. Don't post things that are offensive, and most certainly don't post things that will damage people's view of Jesus. As has been said so many times before, "We may be the only Jesus this world ever sees."
If you are a Christian, you are an ambassador for Christ. You are representing Jesus to the world around you. Make sure that you do not tarnish the image, or run through the mud the precious name of Jesus. We lament the fact that people want nothing to do with church or with our message, but the question I put to you is this: have you had salty speech or have you been sowing salt into fields?
Have you been showing Jesus to the world or have you been making sure that nothing will grow in that field that is a person's heart? What will you leave behind you when you have left the scene, Salty Speech or Salted Fields? I pray that it will be a positive difference you make and not a negative one.
God bless,
Binyamin Pas
(Benjamin Pass in English)