Live the Life

Perhaps you have noticed the sticker on the back window of the pickup in front of you at the light. Or maybe one of your kids or grandkids has it emblazoned on the t-shirt they’ve been wearing. You may have been invited to a party by one of your friends and they offered you a koozie with this same logo. Maybe that’s when you stopped and asked, “What is ‘Salt Life’?”

What has become a ubiquitous business logo started out as a saying two of the company founders had tattooed on their necks. It was their way of expressing their love for the ocean and aquatic sports. According to their website, “The four partners of Salt Life are avid ‘watermen’ and extreme surfers, free divers, spear fishermen and blue water fishing experts. All have traveled the globe surfing, fishing and diving in pursuit of the Salt Lifestyle.”

Since its beginning in 2003, the Salt Life merchandise line, which includes T-shirts, hats, visors and—of course—stickers, has grown into a surfing, fishing and diving-wear empire, selling online and in more than 1,000 independent retailers and six regional and national companies, including Bass Pro Shops, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Belk. In 2010 the company signed a licensing agreement with a group of partners in Jacksonville to expand the brand to include a restaurant called “Salt Life Food Shack.”

The people at Salt Life are committed to promoting the lifestyle of an avid beach lover. “Be it surfing, fishing, diving or just enjoying a day at the beach, we all have one thing in common... the ocean and all it has to offer!”

While that is a touching sentiment; as members of a community of faith, we have something much more significant that we share in common: God’s gift of life through his Son, Jesus Christ. As John tells his congregation: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

What’s more, Jesus calls his followers to be salt. We're not supposed to let the world transform us; we are called to transform the world. “Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage” (Matthew 5:13, The Message). So, live a salty, eternal life!