Beyond the Salt Shaker

I love salt. Now I understand it is very important not to get carried away when I‘m pouring it from the round blue box. Still I must admit, I’m a little heavy handed on the salt when it comes to  French fries, sweet potato fries. That saltiness on the sweet fries is “delish”, to  quote my favorite cooking show star. And then there’s  watermelon. Salt takes that sweet fruit flavor to the next level of delish! And I can’t forget my popcorn. While I love popcorn and I have an empty bowl sitting beside me right now, that was a full bowl of popcorn when I started writing this article. It was air popped, no butter added,  but you can be sure I added the salt. I don’t eat popcorn without salt.  Now, I realize too much salt can cause hypertension and I pay attention to my hypertension. But do  you realize not only does it taste good, you actually need it? Runners, know that better than anyone. Yet the benefits of salt goes far beyond the salt shaker.

When we want to  prevent weeds from growing in our gravel driveway, we scattered coarse salt, like you would scatter seed, then water the salt into the gravel.  Nothing will grow there as long as the salt content remains high. I gleaned this information from the Bible. The Bible really is more than a book of history. It is very practical. And we gargle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt dissolved in a cup of warm water, when we have a sore throat.

Did you realize that animals both need and love salt? We put out a salt lick to attract deer, so we can enjoy watching them feed. Manufacturers add trace minerals that are essential  to animal development in salt for farmers to provide for their livestock. The animals love the salt and as an added benefit consume the minerals their body needs as well. Much like manufacturers put vitamins in candy or jelly like chewable tablets, so kids will  want to eat their vitamins and minerals.

While salt enhances the flavor of food, its value  far surpasses consummation. The Salt Institute claims salt has over 14,000 uses. I’m so glad I wasn’t the person that had to count all those uses. I lose count too often to have a job like that. I listed a few of my favorite uses for salt.

Salt…

preserves food.

can be used to brighten colored clothes.

can be used as an antiseptic.

can be used in deicing roads in the Winter.

softens hard water.

And It has vast commercial use. “Salt is the feedstock for the chlor-alkali chemical industry, just as oil is for the petrochemical industry.” (Copyright 2011 Salt Institute. All Rights Reserved, https://www.saltinstitute.org/Uses-benefits/Salt-in-industry Accessed June 22,2012.) I provided the link from the Salt Institute for you to read some of the many home uses for salt. https://www.saltinstitute.org/
But the Bible has added one more use for salt. Let’s listen to Bro. Paul explain.

Colossians 4:6 “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” OK. I realize Paul wasn’t talking about white table salt, but he was illustrating that your words should be sprinkled with an additive that would enhance the taste of your words. Salt makes food more palatable and when your words are seasoned, they are more palatable as well. Your words should preserve instead of destroy, and words can destroy. So season your words.

What is the salt that we add to our words? I  want to leave this verse with more than a warm fuzzy feeling. What will make my words life-giving, encouraging and palatable? I believe that love is the salt Paul is referring to? What do you think?

 

Some people prefer to associate love with sugar, but the God-kind of love is not sticky or sugary. When we add love to our words they bring healing, they give hope and yes, they can even bring correction. When our words are seasoned with love, there will be some words that are never spoken. Words that are inappropriate or critical will be filtered without being permitted to exit your lips.

 

But Paul does more than recommend that they be salty words. He encourages us to always fill our words with grace. Also in Psalms 42:2, scripture talks about grace filled words.  “Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.” Grace means “charm or decorum, favorable, appealing, attractive, acceptable,precious, pleasant.” That’s a tall order, that requires constant diligence.

 

My friend Joy Hemler blesses not only her food, but also the conversation when she eats with friends. She asks God to help them to say what is pleasing and honoring to Him. That prayer sets boundaries for not only her words, but the entire atmosphere of the conversation.

 

Words possess too much power for a believer to allow them to be filled with anger and resentment. Warning! Here’s a graphic word picture for you. Speaking toxic words is as inappropriate as vomiting at the table. I’m sorry. I understand it is repulsive to think such a thought. Still we will allow gossip, criticism and anger to come out of our mouth and we’re not even slightly concerned. Do you realize you can clean up vomit, but we can’t always clean up the destruction that comes from inappropriate words. When you pay attention to your words, filling them with grace and seasoning them with love, you will recognize the taste of bitter, poisonous words before they escape your lips. Those words have a root. When you taste bitter words, instead of speaking them to people,  take the root of those words,did you hear what I said, the “root” of those words to the cross. The cross can handle that bitterness. The cross holds the antidote for bitterness. It can remove the toxicity and heal the heart or core of where those words are derived. Then you can speak from wholeness instead of brokenness!

 

Do you practice this biblical guideline when you speak to your children? When you speak to your husband or wife?

 

What is a practical way God has given you to practice Colossians 4:6? Please share it with us.

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