Just a Little Salt

When you think of salt, what do you picture in your mind's eye?

I see a blue label with a smiling girl holding an umbrella, while small, white grains of salt sprinkle overhead. I also see the words "When it rains, it pours."

How 'bout you?

Morton's table salt. Morton's introduced iodized salt in 1924. The salt at that time played a big role in public health by helping prevent iodine deficiency and related health issues like goiter. However, studies show, in many cases, iodized table salt has caused more harm than good but I'm not here to talk about that.

For most of my life, salt was just salt. Morton’s table salt was all I ever used. I remember as a child spotting it in my mom's kitchen cupboard as well as my grandmother's kitchen cupboard; it's what you used. It's what every mom used.

A few years ago, I switched to pink Himalayan salt. I had heard it was more natural and better for you, so I figured, why not? It was nice, but I didn’t think much beyond that.

Last month, however, I ran across an article on salt and the true benefits of salt. And how our bodies need and crave good salt. I also discovered Celtic salt, and suddenly, salt wasn’t just salt anymore. This salt is different, grey, a little damp, but full of minerals; 82 to be exact! Why is that a big deal? Because if you compare it to the common white table salt, Morton's table salt for example, it is nearly pure sodium chloride with a small amount of additives.

According to my online search Morton’s, is highly refined, which means it undergoes processes that strip away most of its naturally occurring minerals, leaving behind mostly sodium chloride. They then add Calcium silicate, an anti-caking agent to prevent clumping; Potassium iodide, added for iodine supplementation; and Dextrose, a stabilizer to prevent iodine from breaking down.

Why are we taking all the good stuff out and putting man made stuff back in? That makes no sense to me, now that I know a little more about salt.

You know me...it caused my brain to go somewhere else. I cannot help but think salt is a lot like our walk of faith. Just as real salt enhances and preserves and adds flavor, our faith is meant to bring depth and truth and flavor to the world around us. But if we let the world dilute our faith, we lose what makes us effective.

Jesus put it this way:

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.” Matthew 5:13 ESV

It is a simple but powerful reminder. We are called to live with purpose, to bring out the best in others, and to stay true to who God made us to be.

Just like I have learned to appreciate the value of real salt, I want to live out my faith with that same authenticity, pure and undiluted, full of purpose, and exactly the way God intended.

So, whether it is in what we eat or how we live, let’s not settle for something that has been stripped of its value. Let’s embrace the real thing and be the salt of the earth.

by Jeanette Stark - Friday, February 7, 2025