Blueberry Pie: Sweet or Salty?

Summer has finally arrived and the clumps of berries on my blueberry bushes are just now starting to ripen. Every year at this time, I am reminded of a hard lesson that I learned a few years ago. I shared this story last year, but for those of you who are new to my blog, I am going to post it again — in honor of the yummy blueberries (and my own stupidity!).

I still remember gazing at the overflowing bucket of berries and deciding that I needed to bake a pie. I was not very experienced in the kitchen and had never made a crust from scratch before, but I figured since I was using fresh, home-grown berries, that this pie needed to be done right.

I reached into my cupboard and grabbed my sugar canister and carefully measured out the right amount. I cut decorative leaf patterns into the top crust. This pie wasn’t just going to be yummy – it would be a work of art. Everyone would be impressed. Into the oven it went.

But as I enjoyed the rich smell of baking pie, I started to get a nagging thought. My salt canister and my sugar canister look alike, except that the sugar one is larger. Normally I place the sugar in front and the salt behind it.

What if?

I checked the cupboard. The canisters were reversed. My stomach did a backflip. Did I put salt in the pie instead of sugar?

I dashed back to the oven and peered in. No… It looked so perfect. It smelled so wonderful. Surely it must be fine. I couldn’t have made such a stupid mistake.

After the timer went off, I slid the pie out of the oven. It was so lovely, I almost took a photograph of it. I reached a spoon through one of the decorative vents to taste the filling.

Yeeeeecccchhhh!

Perfect on the outside — full of salt on the inside. I was heartbroken. So much work. So many beautiful berries. Fit only for the trash can.

It reminded me of when Jesus was blasting the Pharisees in Matthew 23. These were the highly religious folks of their day, but Jesus saw the truth of their hearts. They were puffed up with pride because they “appeared” so good. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. [Matt 23:27-28 NIV]

I am guilty of this at times. People ask, “How are you?” and I answer, “Great,” with a big smile. But the smile sometimes masks what’s really on the inside. It doesn’t just hide sin, but pain and hurt as well. I may have a lovely crust, but all too often — I have filled my life with salt. (And I don’t think that is what Jesus meant by “You are the salt of the earth [Matt 5:13 NIV].”)

So, I baked a second pie: a much more “humble” pie. No fancy leaf decorations this time, I just slapped the crusts together and cut some slits. But I was careful with the salt and the sugar.

It wasn’t as beautiful. But it was delicious.