Pass the Salt

Christians communities are known for their cute catch phrases, simple sets of words that are easy to remember that are supposed to invoke thoughts of deeper meaning.

F.R.O.G.- Fully rely on God

W.W.J.D.- What would Jesus do?

Walk by faith, not by sight

Faith over fear

Be Kind, Rewind... Oh, wait that one was Blockbuster.

You get the point. Maybe you wore the bracelet or had a t-shirt. But let's be honest, how often did it really impact our thoughts and actions?

The cute catch phrases are great for kids or even new members to the faith, but as we get grow, we need more, our relationship is supposed to deepen, our understanding is supposed to encompass more than surface level, easily repeatable sayings.

Being the salt of the earth, was something I never really understood, until I took a deeper study into... salt.

Going into the study, I knew one thing about salt. It flavors food. But as I began to study the properties of salt, what salt can do outside the body, and what it can do inside the boy, I really began to understand the importance of being like salt.

Let's start with what I knew. We use table salt, to flavor food. As a nurse that works in a long-term care setting, the one request I get a mealtime, more than any other request is for salt (and sometimes pepper but that doesn't relate to my point) I'll admit, we don't serve heavily salted food to our residents, and there is always one constant complaint. Food without something as "simple" as salt, has no flavor and is bland.

So how does that relate to our relationship with God and our faith? Well, like salt makes food more desirable, faith enriches life. Colossians 4:6 says this:

6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Salt is a comparison to the importance of faith and allowing your relationship with God to permeate through everything you do.

So salt is good for flavor, but is that where it stops?

No.

The second thing I learned about salt is that, in the times that the bible was written, salt was used a as a preservative.

Now there is a long scientific explanation to how this happens, but I asked Google to summarize it for me and I'm going to paraphrase.

Basically, Salt removes the water from the food (meat), creating a dry environment where substances like mold, bacteria and yeast cannot grow.

Simply, salt prevents the bad stuff that ruins your food from growing.

Salt prevents decay.

A life full of faith, prevents decay. As Christians, we are called to live a life where we are in the midst of things that could cause us ruin. But when we have been transformed through our salt-like faith, we are much less prone to the destruction. Romans 12:2 says it this way

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

When we live transformed from the inside out, we do not succumb to the pattern of this world, and we live life as God intended.

Those are two really cool properties that amazed me by themselves. But as I did a deeper dive I learned so much more.

Do you ever remember hearing an old home remedy for a sore throat? Gurgle some saltwater, right? Maybe you never tried it, but I can tell you it helps.

But why does it help? Two main things, saltwater reduces inflammation, and that nasty bacteria that are causing you pain. So, in this instance salt is acting like a disinfectant, and it soothes the burn.

A strong faith not only preserves us but, in higher concentrations, it also actively works against the forces that corrupt us.

These facts alone, would bring home the point of this little catch phrase, but there are a few other aspects I'd like to touch on as well.

If you've ever downed an entire bag of salty potato chips you know one thing, you're going to need water soon. When consumed, salt creates thirst. There are lots of scientific reasons for this and as a nurse I could explain the importance of sodium concentration in the body, but I would probably lose you, so the point I want to drive home is just this: Salt makes you thirsty.

When we are actively living life as the salt of the earth, we crave water, but as this is metaphoric salt, that bottle of VOSS or Fiji, won't cut it, we crave to drink from the fountain of life. Growing in our faith, makes you want to grow more in your faith, and draw deeper from the well or the river of life that is our Savior.

There were so many other things I learned about salt, but if I wrote about them all, you'd be reading forever so, lastly, I'd like to drive home this point. Salt only works, when it makes contact. Salt has to leave the shaker to make a difference. In the same way, Christians are not meant to live isolated, we are meant to spread out, make contact and make a difference in the world around us.

So with that, Pass the Salt.