Language is an interesting thing. I've made a career of it. This week, one of my students commented on my water bottle, and an unplanned door opened for ministry.
"Why does your water bottle say 'Be Lit'?"
"What do you think that means?" I countered (ever the teacher).
"Well, something inappropriate for a teacher to have on a water bottle," my student responded.
"What could 'lit' mean?" I asked, trying to prompt him to think harder about how words can mean different things.
"Well, it can mean get drunk, but I suppose it can mean to fire up."
"Yes," I said, "I suppose 'lit' can mean all of those things. The context of the verse on my bottle is more along the lines of getting fired up, igniting, or being the light for Jesus. See? The verse for Matthew 5:13-16. I couldn't get the whole verse on there, so I abbreviated."
Of course, students are curious...so he asked, "What does the verse say?"
I responded, "“You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world...let your light shine before others, that they may see you glorify God."
Now, before we got talking about semantics, I don't know the verse word for word, so my feeble attempt was a vain effort to enlighten this young man or bring him into a larger conversation, but for you, here is the whole verse:
"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. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16 NIV
Now, I have to be a little careful because I work in a public school. I can't preach while I teach. This student asked me before class, and our conversation ended there. Yet, as I reflect on that conversation and what it means to "Be lit," I started thinking about the little conversations that can be used to spread the word. Like it takes a mustard seed of faith to move mountains, it only takes a seed to plant an idea.
I may never know how my words will impact that student. Often, students leave my class and I never know how I impacted them. What I do know is words have power: "...my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer" (Psalms 45:1). Use it to be lit and stay salty. You never know how your words may touch others.
Be lit, stay salty.
Best, Michelle
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