Salt in the wound

Okay, I was bleeding. It didn't really hurt, but somehow in the process of moving some debris from the area I cut my finger and made quite a mess. After checking it out, I realized it wasn't that serious, put a band-aid on it and went about my merry way. That is until later when I was working with some salt and it got on the wound. OUCH! I didn't think I could rinse it off fast enough!

The sting didn't last that long, but as I washed off the cut, the thought came to me "pouring salt in the wound". In the way my random thoughts run, I immediately thought of how we are called to be the salt of the earth and well, all that got me curious. I always thought salt in the wound was bad, but we're to be salt to a wounded world and well, those two things just didn't seem to go together.

I did what any red blooded, (wounded), woman would do. I googled it...I went right to my computer and looked up salt and wounds. That's when I discovered something pretty interesting. While salt may sting initially, it is one of the best antiseptics that can be used to help wounds heal naturally. Some doctors even recommend the use of a saline solution (salt and water) to clean some wounds instead of hydrogen peroxide! It seems that it doesn't damage the healthy cells like other things do and actually helps the body begin to heal itself.

Of course, there is a spiritual random thought in here. If we are to be the salt to the world, and we learn to use the water of the Word, then we can help bring healing to those around us! Let that "soak in" (pardon the pun) for a minute. Part of our job as "salt" is to be a healing agent to those around us. Pretty cool, huh.

Now, don't expect the wounded to get excited about this salt. I can tell you from experience, salt stings at first! I guess it's at work driving out all the bad stuff from the wound. That doesn't mean the salt shouldn't be there doing what it does, it just means it might not always get a welcoming committee when it arrives. Actually, the salt really doesn't have to "do" anything. The presence of it is enough....if it is salty. I guess that's the tough part - staying salty. But it's something we really need to do, cause in case you haven't noticed, there are a lot of wounded people out there.

I wasn't thrilled when that salt hit my cut, but I've noticed that since it did - the cut seems to be getting better. It's not nearly as tender as before. I can still see it, but it doesn't hurt to touch it anymore. That sounds like healing to me. Makes me wonder if I'm "salty" enough to help bring healing to those I come in contact with each day....and do I have enough water of the Word to make a difference.

Mark 9:50
"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

Colossians 4:6
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Please Pass the Salt

By now, those who know me know that I don't cook. Well, at least I rarely do. I just can't seem to get it right; something is always a little off. Of course, like any good mom, I give it a try and have managed to somehow keep us all from starving, but I am in no danger of winning any cooking prizes any time soon.
I envy those people who can taste something and know just what ingredients it contains and know just what is needed to make it perfect. I don't think I'd know what any herb or spice tastes like, with the exception of salt, and I even have trouble with that sometimes.

Nothing is quite so tricky as finding just the right amount of salt for food. Too little and my grits taste bland and a little like the bag they come in. Too much and they are suddenly inedible. Yes, I know you can add potatoes to something you have over-salted, but who wants potatoes in their grits?

This whole salt thing got me to thinking about something from the Bible. According to Matthew 5:13, we are to be salt of the earth. According to wikipedia,  "Salt is a necessity of life and was a mineral that was used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange. The Bible contains numerous references to salt. In various contexts, it is used metaphorically to signify permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification."

I love the idea that as Christians we are to bring flavor to life. We are to bring out the natural gifts in others, much the way salt enhances the natural flavors in food. Unfortunately, at times I'm afraid my cooking abilities spill over into my spiritual life and I "over-salt" my world.

Don't get me wrong, I truly believe in sharing the Good News of Jesus with those around me....but yesterday I saw an article that reminded me of over-salting food. In this article people were berating others for NOT wishing them a Merry Christmas in a department store. Now, I'm for Christmas as much as the next person, but becoming irate at not being wished Merry Christmas when I buy yet another un-needed gift for someone strikes me as a bit off. It's sort of like dumping the whole box of salt on my meal....it just doesn't make sense.
To me, salt should bring out the natural gifts in others. It should make you thirsty for the Living Water of the Word, and it should be just enough so that you want more. If you dump too much out at once, instead of wanting more it simply drives you in the other direction. (How do I know this? I told you I was a lousy cook!) I don't think that's what the gospel writers had in mind.

I have to ask myself, am I being salt to the earth? Am I living my life in such a way that others want more of what I have, or am I keeping it all to myself? That makes things dull and tasteless. If, however, I am allowing God to use me to find the good in others, to seek out those in need and share what I have been given, (that need doesn't have to just be physical needs by the way), and if my life can somehow signify permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification, then perhaps I've finally discovered how to use my seasoning well in life.

The rest of that verse talks about salt losing it's flavor....that it becomes so mixed with other minerals that it no longer has any taste. I have seen times in my own life when I have become so like the world that I was in danger of losing my "taste". It is a delicate balance to be in the world and yet not become so mixed that I lose my effectiveness. That doesn't mean I have to separate myself and live in some commune, but it does mean I have to be aware of the influences the world can have over me. I can't simply dump out my salt on others and run, I've got to keep my heart right while I "shake out a little salt" as I go. I don't have to worry about running out because God provides an endless supply when I'm using it the way He intended!

I may never find myself being the focus of some cooking show, but I truly hope that somehow I can learn to be "worth my salt" in life. I'm off to see who's life I can add some salt to today. Care to join me?
Tomorrow, perhaps we'll talk about being light.

Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men."