I love blueberries. I like to have them on cereal, over ice cream, in muffins, in granola bars – I love blueberries.   My Beloved, on the other hand, will eat some blueberries but he is not as fanatic about them as I am . For him, a little goes a long way.

The other morning, we were preparing breakfast and I was scooping out blueberries from the freezer bag and pouring them into my granola cereal and getting my Beloved some Cheerios.

I asked if he wanted some blueberries and he replied “Yes, but not many.”

Being the dutiful wife that I am, I counted out eight blueberries and put them on the top of his cereal, and then asked if that was sufficient. I really thought he would want more, but he did not – eight was just right.

So, we ate our cereal and when we were down to the milk, I noticed how blue the milk was in my bowl and I assumed that the color was so deep because I had so many blueberries with my granola.

But, when I looked at my Beloved’s bowl, his milk was as blue as mine even though his bowl had so many less blueberries!

I confess that this was far from a scientific experiment.  However, a few things can be deduced from our breakfast challenge.  First, a blueberry is not a strong fruit – its skin is thin and it is small in comparison with other fruit. Its taste is mild and it probably won’t win a contest for being the most distinctive taste in the panoply of fruit flavors.

Second, the blueberry is a champion of color. Those eight little berries colored the milk the same hue of blue as did my 4 scoops of berries. [You can conduct the same experiment just by dishing out the berries in the first place … if your hands touch them, even when frozen, you will have blue marks on your fingers.]

Third, what a powerful impact those eight little berries had on the white milk. Quiet, no grand heraldry announcing that the blueberries were doing something … they just made their presence known by coloring their world.

Then I thought of Scripture and our witness to the love and power of our Lord Jesus Christ. We too are supposed to affect our world for Jesus by our word, work and witness.

Jesus said we are to be salt and light to the world. Matthew 5:13-16. Neither salt nor light leave the area around it unchanged. Both have an immediate affect on that which it touches. Light does not leave the darkness alone when it appears – light totally obliterates the darkness.   Salt is not just a flavoring. Indeed, according to the Salt Institute, there are about 14,000 uses for salt.  It has been said that the use of salt as a preservative for food was an early cornerstone of civilization. [You can read more about salt at http://www.care2.com/greenliving/47-smart-uses-for-salt.html#ixzz3jU24iqym]

In short, Jesus was telling His disciples that they should have an affect on the people with whom they come in contact. And, through the power of the Holy Spirit, this affect should be quiet, enduring and efficient no matter the circumstance.

Jesus did not include the blueberry in His command to His disciples when He said that they should be salt and light to their world and I certainly don’t want to add anything to Scripture as it is, I believe, the inerrant Word of the Living God.

But, I think that the little blueberry can be an example of what He was saying. We should not just soak up the milk, we should not just hear the Word, we should not just bask in the fellowship of our friends … we should be out in the world leaving behind the mark of Jesus Christ just as the blueberry leaves its mark when it comes in contact with your hand.

When we are in contact with our family, neighbors, fellow-shoppers, drivers, church members, club associates, whomever … whatever our interaction with others may be, there should be an impact for Jesus Christ.

• Can people tell that we are Christians by the way we color our interactions with them?
• We may be small, weak and not very assuming in appearance, but do we make a mark for our Lord in our society, not just on Sunday at and after services, but on a day to day basis?

So, what about you?  Have you colored your world today?  Have I?

Lord, please forgive us when we have missed opportunities to witness to others about your love and grace.  Forgive us when we fail to follow your lead in presenting the gospel message of salvation to others who may be asking about what Christ means to us.  Lord, forgive us when we have soaked up the Word, hoarding it for ourselves, without recognizing that it will increase when we spread it abroad.  Lord, help us live for You no matter where we are or who we are with.  Let us remember that You are ever present with us, to give us the words to speak as you did with Moses and the prophets.  Praise Your Holy Name.