Salt, when dissolved in water, may disappear, but it does not cease to exist.
We can be sure of its presence by tasting the water.

Likewise, the indwelling Christ, though unseen,
will be made evident to others from the love which He imparts to us."

~Sadhu Sundar Singh~

I'm thinking of the persecuted church and even (a little bit) of where most of us are. Salt is a good thing - it's good for flavor and it's good for preserving things. But (think of the water again) if there is too much salt, we don't like it very much.

A couple of years ago my class made ice cream and we needed rock salt. One of the students was determined that he wanted to taste the salt and finally the teacher let him taste it. He was also determined that he was not going to let on how bad it tasted and how badly he wanted to spit it out. So he just sat there with a very funny look on his face until it all dissolved; then (and only then) he went to get a drink of water.

2 Corinthians 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

As Christians, we should not expect an easy life! We are the salt and if we get to "salty" the world will want to spit us out. We don't see much of that in most of the places that we live. We see some of it, and most of it on the part of peers, not the government.

As salt, Christians can function as both a preservative and a flavoring. And we can be "too strong" for the world's taste in both ways.

Unbelievers can feel "uncomfortable" when a Christian walks into a room - the Christian doesn't have to say anything, but the jokes or stories stop...this is preservative. If the Christian is "too salty", the group will just leave and the Christian may feel downright unwelcome.

As flavor, it's the same way - our saltiness can lose friends! A while ago I had a friend who was doing some things that were causing "issues". I spoke up and it was a long time before we spoke again.

But this is a good thing!   It is through these trials and tribulations - persecutions - that we are assured of our ability to stand.  God provides these opportunities for growth.

So I'll leave you with this "salty thought" - keep being the salt, we are the salt of the earth!

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.