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“Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14: 27).

This is amazing. Jesus promises that he is with us, all the time, and that enveloped in his love we ought not fear. What a message of freedom! I don’t need to worry and ruminate and use salty language. I can go forward with what I believe I am called to do. I can just do it! I don’t need to be all stirred up in anxiety in order to obey Jesus’ commandments to love my neighbor and feed his sheep.

I can use SALT-Y language (sharing abundance, love and thanks) in all that I do. I can offer the gifts God gave to me to others. This includes my time, my talent, and my financial resources. I may feel stretched thin, but secure in the promise of Christ, I can add a little more salt – a little more from my abundance of love and thanks – to my work and to my offerings.

This message is excerpted from “Feeling salty?” by Jennifer Hockenbery from the September 21, 2025, blog of the Women of the ELCA.