Are you feeling a bit down today? Feel like you are too small to make a difference in the world?
You need to take a lesson from the cucumber. Yes, this common green vegetable, that grows like a weed in most gardens, can teach you something important about the role you play in God’s Kingdom.
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I came upon this profound revelation while dining in a local restaurant. I ordered a meal that came with a salad as the first course. As I worked my way through it, I took note that the bowl contained a mixture of lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, crispy onion bits, croutons … and deep into the bowl near the bottom, several small pieces of cucumber. You really had to search to find them.
I don’t really like salads. Or vegetables in general, if I’m honest. But they’re supposed to be good for you, so I began munching my way through the assortment and found myself wondering which of these ingredients was actually the most beneficial. When I got home I decided to research it (yes, I have too much spare time). Turns out that, despite being by far the smallest element in the salad, the cucumber was by far the healthiest.
Did you know this?
Cucumbers are 95% water? (Amaze your friends with that trivia.) So they help keep you hydrated.
Cukes are also an excellent source of vitamins D and K, as well as potassium and calcium. They also provide a little fiber which is good for digestion. Cucumbers have antioxidants, which may help reduce inflammation and protect against chronic diseases. They are good for your bones, your skin and blood sugar control, and a serving contains just 15 calories!
Why should you care about this? Well, think about it. Those little bits of cucumber in your salad are making the biggest difference and providing the most important benefit to your body.
There’s a metaphor here: You don’t have to be a big, important person to make a big, important difference. Every godly act of kindness and love makes the world around you a healthier place. People may not notice, but God will.
So be the cucumber in the salad of your world!
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham television news and sports anchor and an award-winning columnist for numerous publications and websites.
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