Sweet 'n Salty

Secret of Life #1. Savory Salt.

A gratifying and fulfilling Sabbath it surely has been today. During Sunday School hour at church, the topic of discussion stemmed from 3rd Nephi, Chapter 12-13: The Beatitudes.

Specifically focusing on the "Salt of the Earth," we discussed the importance of salt in our foods, and what happens when the ingredient is left out. Or the way salt attains it's impurities- through mixture and contamination, and not from age or the passage of time. The principle is a very applicable metaphor to our own lives, and can be interpreted or demonstrated through various methods. Some chose to liken a lack of the great combination of Sodium and Chloride to a bland, undesirable life without Christ. Others relate salt to losing its savor from distractions, sinning without repentance, or an idea I specifically publicly suggested- complacency, lacking an active will to progress and better ourselves even when doing 'good' things.

Do to the great volume of active participants during the church lesson, I limited my comments to one. However, because this is my journal and my refuge for personal intuitions, I wish to expand upon another salt metaphor that clicks with me, and jives with my inner nursing-educated mind:

Food is a great life pleasure. The satiety of a chocolate Reese's peanut butter cup, or the nostalgia of mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving; life's sustenance is so very enjoyable.

Often in the clinical setting, patients are diagnosed with certain conditions requiring them to limit their salt intake, whether it be congestive heart failure or renal disease. In my experience of aiding these patients in implementing a life-altering diet change, their response is almost always unanimous: Frustration, anger, and an obvious lack of zeal for life. Why? Because a great source of pleasure is being strictly limited and negatively altered, often for their rest of their lives. The once savory salt is now the bad guy, one that can wreak havoc if not kept in delicate moderation.

And so my message is this: Let us not feel a need to limit the Salt in our lives because of our 'unworthiness'. Let us not lose the Savor of the Salt because we fell off track and are slow to recover. Moreover, let us cherish the magnitude of the blessings of the Salt and feel of His happiness- for the Salt is, of, and from Him.