Why You Are Important in This World
Photo by Timo Volz on Unsplash
You are important to this world and to the work of God. But before I address that, let’s pause for a word from our high school health teacher.
Salt. Salt was once highly prized and was a form of currency. In fact, the word” salary” is derived from the same root as “salt.” Not so today. Salt is plentiful and cheap. We use it so much in our food that we take it for granted. That is until that pesky doctor says you need to cut back on your salt intake. It’s hard to cut back when salt is in everything. Chips, cokes, cookies. Everything.
Salt gets a bad rap because we consume so much of it, but we still need it. We critically need it. Why? I’m glad you asked.
- Electrolyte Balance. Your body is crammed full of electrolytes, which is essential for proper nerve and muscle function. Salt helps maintain the balance of all those electrolytes.
- Fluid Balance. Sodium, a component of salt, plays a crucial role in regulating the body’s fluid balance. It helps ensure that the right amount of fluid stays inside and outside cells, which is vital for hydration and overall health.
- Nervous System Function. Those same sodium ions are essential for transmitting nerve impulses throughout the body. They help neurons communicate with each other, which is critical for muscle contraction and sensory perception.
- Digestive Health. Salt stimulates the production of stomach acid, which aids in the digestion of food.
- Hydration. Salt helps the body retain water, thus preventing dehydration.
- Nutrient Absorption. Salt plays a role in the absorption of certain nutrients, such as chloride and potassium, in the small intestine. These nutrients are essential for various bodily functions, including fluid balance and muscle function.
- Blood Pressure Regulation. Sodium helps regulate blood volume, which, in turn, influences blood pressure. A moderate amount of salt helps maintain healthy blood pressure levels.
We really do need salt, and I want us to think of this science lesson as we consider Jesus’s words to those of us who follow Him.
“You are the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13).
Believers often embrace this truth in terms of salt’s preservative powers and enhanced taste to our food. In other words, the presence of Christians—the salt of the earth—has a preserving influence on the culture around us. We bring “flavor” to the world. All that is true, but I want us to see it as more than just a clever analogy.
Salt is critical to our bodies, and we are critical to the world. We are more than just a preserving influence. We bring life into a world bent toward death and destruction. Our bodies cannot function without salt, and the world critically needs the presence of believers.
There are many in society who would love to see Christians removed from our communities. They don’t want the influence of believers, thinking the world would be a better place without them. They are so wrong. I’m not a fan of dystopia movies, but these movies, written by non-believers with no thought of God, have captured a sense of a world without order. A world of survival of the fittest. A world without morality. A world without God. These movies are dark stories, and that’s the one thing they get right. Take Christians, their trust in God, and their reminder of the presence and reality of God out of the picture, and it is a dark world indeed.
If you are a follower of Christ, you play an important role in the world around you. Whether you have a national platform or your influence extends no further than the end of your street, your presence as a Christ-follower is needed. Those around you need to see your hope, your love, your humility.
Let me remind you of one another thing salt does. It makes us thirsty. There’s a reason many restaurants and bars offer complimentary peanuts. Those salty peanuts make us buy more drinks. In the same way, the salt of your love, peace, and grace to those around you makes them thirsty for what they see in you.
Let them see Jesus. The world is dying without your salty influence.
“You are the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13).
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Banner photo by Jason Tuinstra on Unsplash.
