LET’S GET SALTY!

I've never been a super Betty Crocker in the kitchen. I mean, I can make your standard Hamburger Helper and spaghetti dishes, along with anything else that uses ground beef. But lately I've been trying to up my game by learning some new skills and adding some new recipes to my tried and true repertoire, which could also be accurately described as tired and true!

One of the things I've been trying to master is a cast iron skillet. Any real Betty Crocker will tell you the secret to this particular skillet is keeping it seasoned correctly. One day I got some sticky sauce burned on it and then neglected it for a while. I was having so much trouble cleaning it, I had to research what to do. Surprisingly, the solution was scrubbing it with salt. It worked with a little persistence and a ton of elbow grease, slowly but surely, removing layer after layer of of burned on goo. I thought about the term salty and wondered why salt had gotten such a bad rap when it's such a beneficial substance.

Salty in today's pop slang vernacular means someone who is bitter, irritated, angry, sassy, sour, etc. But did you know that references to being salty have been around for a long time? Some of them good, some of them not so good. So what's the history behind this word and the powers of this wonder working mineral?

A Brief History of Being Salty

Salty has had a variety of meanings throughout history. In its most basic and literal sense, it referred to something having a saline quality. Then it became associated with the ocean and sailors who had been at sea for a while. Around 1860 it gained another connotation of being racy or vulgar, because sailors often had that reputation. It also meant being toughened by experience like the sailors who lived that rough and tough life.

Sometime around the 1920s-1930s, the term became popularized in African American colloquialism as jump salty, meaning to become suddenly angry. Ever since then, being salty has evolved into the full on bitter, sour, irritated meaning.

Today I'm going to go way back in history (say about 2000 years) to discover what Jesus said about being salty. And His way is the right way to be salty.

Matthew 5-7 records Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, His longest, broadest, most masterful sermon recorded in Scripture. Let’s focus on one teeny tiny microscopic verse out of this mammoth sermon.

Focal Passage

“You are 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 underfoot.” Matthew 5:13 (NIV)

When Jesus called His followers the salt of the earth, He was using a multi-faceted analogy. So what did He mean and why in the world did He pick salt to compare us to? Let's look at a few uses of salt down through the ages.

Uses of Salt

As a valuable commodity

Back in the day, you could barter and trade with salt – that in itself is a fascinating study. One of the more astonishing things I found was that in medieval times, salt was traded for gold in West Africa. Another site said that, while gold was the most valuable trading commodity in ancient China, salt was 2nd!

Roman soldiers were paid a salarium – from the Latin sal meaning “salt”. We also get our word salary from salarium from salt. Salt is thought to have been part of a soldier’s pay as well – hence, a worthless soldier was described as “not worth his salt”.

As a preservative

Before refrigerators were invented, people used salt to preserve meats and other foods because it prevented decay. Salt draws water out of the food, thereby robbing the chance for bacteria to live and thrive. And salt actively kills any microbes that are present. Eating a bunch of McDonald's french fries is not a fun ticket to killing off microbes and bacteria in your body! Salt concentrations have to be > 10% and those fries only equal .2% concentration!

As an antiseptic

Salt was long used in ancient medicine for its antiseptic and healing properties. You probably still use salt but just may not recognize it. Have you ever gargled with salt water, or used any saline solutions, or soaked a body part in Epsom salt? Consider yourself a part of ancient healing history!

As a necessary dietary mineral

We’re often told to limit our sodium - and yes, too much is bad - but did you know balanced salt levels are necessary for your body to function efficiently? It regulates blood pressure, the amount of fluid in our bodies, maintains pH balance, and aids our muscular and nervous systems to function properly. OK, so maybe one serving of Mickey D's fries per week!

As a fertilizer (for crops)

Salt was used since ancient times as a fertilizer, and it’s still a common ingredient in many of today's commercial fertilizers. In modern times, people also use Epsom salt and sea salt commonly in their gardens to accomplish a whole host of things from helping green up the leaves to producing a bushier plant and boosting flower production.

As flavoring

This is my favorite use for salt. There are two things I have to have salty – eggs & potatoes – well, maybe chips too (even if they aren't potato chips). But seriously, virtually 99.9% of recipes will have these two basics – salt and pepper – just because it’s that amazing!

So What About Us?

Maybe as you read the list for the uses of salt, you were immediately struck by the metaphorical meanings. But let's break it down for fun. What did Jesus mean that we were the salt of the earth? It means we should live our lives in such a way that we’re displaying these attributes to the people we're around and in the places that we’re doing life.

As a self-reflection exercise, ask yourself if you're displaying the following characteristics:

• Valuable: Do you add value to the environments you run in and to the people you run with?

• Preservative: Do you live according to God’s holy standards or to the world’s lax standards?

• Antiseptic: Do you contribute to the good health of your relationships or do you spread sickness?

• Necessary: Are you “essential” personnel in your work, home, personal relationships, etc., meaning...are you vital for helping people and places perform better? Would you be missed if you were gone?

• Growth Agent: Do you improve the culture and the fruitfulness of a place, organization, or other people?

• Flavor Enhancer: Do you live life with enthusiasm, zest, and zeal? Do you lighten and brighten places you go and the people you’re with?

That is a lot to consider. Hopefully it broadens your understanding of Jesus’ words when He tells us that we are salt – and we should be salty!

Closing Thoughts

Matthew 5:13 (MSG)

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage."

Alright, Christian, don’t end up in the garbage. It’s time to get salty - the right way.