Salt and Light

When I was visiting back home, my attention was called to the ideas of being salt and light to those around me. Salt: it works as a basic preservative against rottenness and decay (no matter where we live, life can be challenging with all kinds of rottenness we encounter), and it also adds a basic but important flavor. Light: It illuminates, brings clarity, reveals direction, reveals hidden things (this can be a nice thing or an unpleasant thing, depending on what's being hidden), brings safety, and encourages.

Returning to work and finding most of the teachers from last year had moved on, I've been tempted to sway towards loneliness, discouragement, and self-pity. As I've thought back over the brief time I got to know some of those subject teachers though, it made me realize how much I treasured the instances in which they had been salt and light for me. Maybe it was concern about me when I was traveling, a kind smile as I passed by them in the hallway, a Christmas card or bottle of vitamin C juice--they were small gestures, but they spoke volumes. They brought a good flavor to a sometimes dull work environment, and encouragement to fight off dark moods.

While I know I have to give myself and others grace (lots, lots, LOTS), I'd like to be more deliberate in looking for ways to be salt and light in the lives of others this year. We don't know how long of a time we'll be sharing a mutual circle of influence with people, especially in Korea (or any community away from normal home), so it's even more important to take advantage of opportunities to bring good taste, ward off rottenness, and bring light and encouragement.

Facing the second year is different than the first round, since the initial euphoria isn't present. But so many things ARE available that I didn't have this time last year that I ought to be counting my blessings: Friendship, furnishings, foreign food stores, internet, bank, phone, community, and so much more... It'll be a very different year than last time around (with maybe fewer interesting things to blog about), but I'm sure this year will continue to be filled with richness of life, lessons to be learned, and much personal growth.