BE AS SALT(ED)

It was corn season and on one fateful evening, my mother (A/N: This woman really needs to start paying me for making her my muse in most of my articles) decided to go out in search of roasted corn and pear or ubé in our dialect. After driving through various streets- seeing as that was where most vendors took up shop as a result of the lockdown of the markets in the state- we came across an elderly woman who took up a small space in front of an electronics/furniture shop. She really didn't stick out like the other sellers nearby but merely looking at her, you could tell that her roasted corn would be nice and without much surprise they were. I love roasted corn, but I always wondered what made them so sweet when the process only involved setting raw corn on a charcoal stove and giving it time to roast. On eating the corn, my mother made an observation, that they reason, why the old lady's corn was tasty, was that she soaked the raw corns in a bowl of saltwater before placing them on heat. At that moment, an article formed in my head. 

The Bible made a lot of references with salt; from the transformation of Lot's wife to it saving an entire city's water system(A/N: 2 Kings 2:20) but the most significant reference up to date has been the sermon of the Beatitudes by Jesus Christ. 

The Beatitudes or "Be-attitudes" are a set of teachings Jesus had provided for His disciples and followers on a mountain top. Each with a characteristic that every Christian should imbibe in their lives with a corresponding blessing along with it. Our focus would be on Matthews 5 verse 13:

"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 trodden underfoot by men". 

You might be wondering, what made Him compare humans to something so little and mundane as salt? I may not be able to decipher the entire mysteries behind that sermon but it would be of great help if we took that verse apart and analyze it line by line. 

YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH. 

Salt. Table Salt. Sodium Chloride. NaCl. This chemical solution formed from a reaction between an acid and a base has been around for ages. It can be found all over the world. From the highest rocky mountains to the waters of the deep blue seas and to the condiment shelves of various houses. It's the last thing we add when cooking and our first aid when we get scrapes and bruises. Add the right amount, and you're left with a delicious meal, but too much and you get hypertension. (A/N: A bit of exaggeration there but you get the idea). The idea of Jesus referring to us as "Salt of the Earth", is saying we are many and we are important. 

BUT IF SALT HAS LOST ITS TASTE, HOW SHALL ITS SALTINESS BE RESTORED? 

Everything has an expiry date. Even the unique qualities that we once possess could disappear over time. Haven't you noticed that there were things you could do before that you could not do it again? It could be a special skill or talent that you had from inception and over the years, you discover that you don't have those gifts anymore. Or maybe you do, but they are not as potent as they use to be. That's what it means to "lose" your taste. To lose that quality in you that made you special. Made you unique and wanted. I don't know how salt can lose its saltiness. Might be a result of the weakening of the bonds that hold each ion in place or it might be because of some external factor that contaminates the whole reaction. The fact remains that good things can be lost. 

"IT IS NO LONGER GOOD FOR ANYTHING EXCEPT TO BE THROWN OUT AND TRODDEN UNDER FOOT BY MEN". 

Empty packets, spoilt foods, expired spices, and incompetent people. What do these things have in common? They, along with people, are discarded and walked on by men. Although having people getting trampled on is a horrific thing to imagine, let's look at it from its figurative aspect. When we lose those qualities that make us unique. That makes people want to be close to us- Those attractive qualities- it only makes sense that we won't be needed again. Take, for example, you had good leadership skills. You had an uncanny ability to coordinate a large number of people to perform a specific task and you were able to do it effortlessly and effectively. Then, little by little, you find yourself unable to conduct even the smallest group of people. Small tasks become too difficult for you and your productivity level drops rapidly. Now, what would be your new fate? Would you still be nominated for other leadership positions or would you most likely be demoted to a follower status? This is a clear example of what is meant by being trampled on...well, without the stomping. Everybody has something to offer and when we don't, we get sidelined and all we can do is watch as others receive benefits and favors that would have easily been ours. 

HOW TO RETAIN YOUR SALTINESS. 

How do we retain our saltiness? In other words, how do we retain our unique qualities so that they don't weather away because of our own carelessness? There's never a straight-forward answer for that except if we keep on acting right. If we can keep utilizing our gifts-use them, nurture them, improve on them-then we would never have to worry about feeling inadequate. We would never have to worry about searching for better gifts when our gifts have been there all along. Hidden deep within ourselves. Waiting for you to use them. Hoping to be utilized before it disappears.

   Be as salt. Be unique. Become an asset.