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My family has strong, varied opinions, yet we have found one topic on which we unanimously agree – there is no substitute for salt.

Mention the word – salt – and my children will recount with great detail the changes in their grandmother’s cooking when she eliminated it from her dishes. (Just don’t mention Epsom salt. You will hear only groans from my children when I begin to list its benefits.) They will not notice the lack of any other seasoning, but can detect the absence of salt. No other spices pass my family’s taste test.

Beyond its ability to enhance the flavor of foods over which it’s sprinkled, salt purifies, heals, preserves and creates thirst. The Salt Institute claims there are over 14,000 uses for the product. Although I will never read that list, I’m sure ‘crawfish boils’ nears the top.

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.” So what does that mean? Perhaps we should season our world by affecting people positively and bringing out the best in everyone and every situation. Maybe it means we should preserve Godly values. It might also mean we should do our part to heal the hurting and wounded we encounter with the love of God. I believe if we do those things, the salt in us will also cause others to thirst for the Living Water, the Holy Spirit of God.

You are the salt of the earth, and there is no substitute for salt. And no one else is a substitute for you.

 

Ronny Michel can be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.