Becoming the Salt of the Earth

By John T. McNeal

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word salt?  
Could it be that it adds flavor?  Or, how it relates to a heart attack waiting to happen? It seems that people go from one extreme to another when salt is mentioned in a conversation.  Many people believe that salt is a contributor to heart failure, while others tend to believe that it adds flavor to life. Salt is one of three major electrolytes needed in the body.  Let’s go a little deeper.
    
In the Greek language, salt is spelled sault.  It is a natural mineral that is needed to help regulate the body’s fluids to maintain balance.   Every living creature that God made needs salt in order to survive.   In the days of the Roman Empire, part of the wages paid to a Roman soldier was salt.  Of course, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  The over-consumption of salt can lead to health problems.

Most people look at salt simply as a seasoning. Emeril uses it to kick his dish up a notch. Of course French fries would be dull and bland without a dash of salt. It is also used as a preservative. It has been used for thousands of years to cure meat, so it does not spoil. I have helped my mother and grandmother can vegetables during the summer. One of the important ingredients used during this process is salt. It helps boiling water obtain a higher and more stable temperature for blanching, which locks in the flavor and color of the vegetables.
    
Salt can be used for purification, cleansing and healing as well. Have you ever gotten salt in an open wound? I can tell you from first-hand experience that it really hurts!  After a few seconds with salt in a cut and it will surely show you what is hidden in the depths of your heart. It may hurt badly but, rest assured, it certainly helps the healing process. My pastor told a story about an experience he had when he was about twelve years old. He had a bicycle accident which gave him a road rash from his head to his toes. After seeing the doctor, his family went to the beach on vacation. He said once the cleansing process was over, his body began to heal.
    
Salt also creates thirst. Have you ever eaten a country ham biscuit and not needed a gallon of water to wash it down? Salt creates the body’s desire for water to quench its thirst. Has your soul ever been thirsty? Have you ever sought after things, possessions, money, or ideas, and not been totally satisfied with what you found?  As a  
Christian, Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth. “But, if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”(Matthew 5:13 NIV)
    
Are you still salty? Do your words add seasoning to the conversations around you? If so, your words are acting like a preservative agent for other people’s minds. Are you reaching out to your community to spread the healing Word of God with grace and mercy? When people talk to you, do they desire what you have or do you desire what they have?

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