Too Much Salt
Salt preserves. Salt adds flavor. Salt even brings out the best natural flavors of foods. When you add too much salt, food can be ruined and lose all its flavor. You can’t cook without salt, but you can’t cook with too much salt either. Salt requires balance.
The Lord said, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. For every one will be salted with fire and every sacrifice will be salted with salt. Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its saltness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again; and again, as his custom was, he taught them.
Mark 9:42-50; 10:1
We are called by Christ to ‘be salt’ to the world. Today’s reading warns about losing salt, but I want to focus on adding too much salt today. It can do as much damage to the world to be too salty than not salty enough.
One expression of God’s love is that He never allows us to experience too much of His Truth. If we understood ‘how far away’ we were from Him, we would never bother trying to get closer. If we understood ‘just how sinful’ we were, we might never walk back to His way of life.
If God protects us from too much salt, then why is it we are so free to pour salt over every stranger and neighbor in society? If knowing too much about our sins would ruin our enthusiasm, what makes us think pointing out every minutia of sin helps others?
When an expert chef allows us to taste his food, properly salted, we are drawn in and want more. The same can be said about faith. When we allow others to ‘taste’ Christ by watching our joy and peace, properly salted, they will be drawn in to Him and want more.
After a delightful meal we may ask, “Can you show me how to make that?” The same can be said of about faith. After witnessing our peace and joy, during stress, others will ask, “Can you help me have that joy and peace? My life is CRAZY right now.”
Of course, if you are the one running crazy and frantic, without peace and joy, nobody will want to ‘taste’ what you’re cooking. At the same time nobody wants an ‘know it all’ showing up in their kitchen telling them they’re ‘doing it all’ wrong. Too much salt ruins everything!
Now for the sad truth about too much salt. We ALL need to improve. Some need more, some need less, but we all need to adjust the salt in our lives. Every chef works to improve their recipe. Every Christian should work to improve their soul. We just need help ‘tasting’ the salt.
That’s where Holy Confession comes in. It is like sending our food to a food critic. We learn where we need work and where we have made progress. A worthwhile spiritual father won’t open the shaker and pour salt over your head. You would walk away defeated.
A worthwhile spiritual father instead helps you see where you can make progress. Eventually you will see, through history, how much progress you’ve made. For starters, focus on your sins rather than everyone else’s sins.
You will eventually realize that you had much further ‘to go’ than you thought. You will be thankful God didn’t allow you to see ‘how bad’ your food was. You may have poured too much salt and given up ‘cooking’ altogether.
Thankfully, you don’t have to give up. You just have to take it one step at a time. The first step is to stop trying to salt everyone else’s life and start salting your life. Always be aware of too much salt. It ruins everything and helps nothing.
