Call me odd, but I like to season just about everyting with cayenne pepper. Coffee, hot cocoa, soup, pumpkin pie, cookies, pumpkin scones. I do it because capsicum (what makes cayenne hot) is good for you. It increases your circulation and adds flavor to just about anything.
On cold, dark mornings, a dash of cayenne in my decaf skinny latte warms me from the inside out. In the afternoon, when I need a little pick-me-up, I indulge in another warm drink with a dash of cayenne.
I probably started this habit because of the shock value of claiming that I have cayenne in my coffee–but it really tastes good. I think Starbucks ought to have a cayenne shaker next to the vanilla and cocoa shakers.
Sometimes when I bake (and add cayenne on the sly to something like brownies), my unsuspecting victims guests will take a bite, chew a bit and say, “What’s in this?! It’s a little spicy!” That afterburner effect, you know?
I know Jesus said we should be the salt of the earth, but I long to be the cayenne of the earth, too. I want to make people laugh just a little harder and smile just a little bigger. Salt seems so, well, boring (although believe me, I know the value of salt). I want people to remember me with warmth because I went the extra mile or took the extra effort to make them feel good.
All too often, though, I fall short of even being the salt. I think the point Jesus wanted to make was that we as Christians should season the lives of others with the good things. Our Christian T-shirts with godly slogans, the crosses around our neck or in our ears or on our bumper stickers (especially if we cut someone off in traffic) don’t make us Christians. The way we interact with others and make THEM feel loved, accepted and valued is what’s important during this season and every season.
Be the season of the season. Make it a habit. Click To TweetWhat about you? Do you find it hard to be the season sometimes?
