Recipe for godly conversations
- 1 x measure of graciousness
- 1 x measure of saltiness
- Stir thoroughly, adding prayer and courage
In Rocket 5 we looked at Colossians 4:6, which encourages us to be gracious in our speech. This same verse also encourages us to season our conversations with salt:
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Col 4:6)
What does ‘seasoned with salt’ mean?
Salt provides seasoning or flavour (see also Job 6:6). So a ‘salty’ conversation is one that is not bland or dull but has a bit of spice in it. It’s provocative conversation that will challenge people to move beyond the mundane to the meaningful.
An example
A man recently shared with me a stressful situation he is in with a dodgy, deceitful and money-hungry builder. I listened carefully and empathized with him. I was gracious. But I could have been more ‘salty’ by saying, “Why are people like that?” or “I can tell this is a worry for you. I’m a Christian—would you mind if I prayed for you?” I think he would have appreciated it.
Stop and consider: Do you think you need to add more graciousness to your conversations with unbelievers, or do you need to add more salt?
A challenge
Being ‘salty’ in our conversations is a challenge to some of us. It takes courage to take a risk and say something provocative. Maybe these suggestions will help you to be more ‘salty’.
- As per my example above, offer to pray for people who are anxious.
- Try to move conversations to deeper topics—things like the purpose of life, human nature, or life after death. For example, some news reports referred to the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 as an “evil” act. You could ask, “What makes that an evil act?” or “Why do people do stuff like that?” And see where the conversation leads.
- If people are talking more deeply about an issue, throw in, “As a Christian I believe…” and give a biblical perspective on the issue.
- Recognize and articulate God’s sovereignty over all of life. For example, you could say, “I’ll see you tomorrow, God willing” or “Thank God for the rain yesterday; my garden was so dry”.
Remember, our aim in every conversation is to try to turn the discussion (in a natural way) to the most interesting person of all: Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate ‘salt’, who gives flavour and richness to life.
Question: What does it mean to have ‘salty’ conversations? What are some examples of this?
Action: This week make an effort to have more ‘salty’ conversations with your non-Christian work colleagues. See where this leads.
How are you doing with… memorizing Romans 6:23? Have you tried to explain it to somebody?
