Salt. Life depends on it.

Muscles and nerves can’t function without it. In fact, all living things must have salt in their diet to survive.

Most people in developed nations, whose diets include a high percentage of processed foods, consume too much salt, contributing to high blood pressure, kidney stones, and heart disease. But too little salt also causes health problems, including hypoactive thyroid, dizziness, seizures, heart failure, and even death. Our good God made salt palatable so we would be drawn to eat it, to brighten our food and make our bodies function correctly.

Speech needs salt to make it function right as well, to make it worthwhile, meaningful, helpful. Our speech, whatever the topic, needs life preserving salt — choice seasoning. It needs savory, thoughtful, heartfelt, and true words that draw outsiders in. Such words are understanding, gracious ones that don’t separate ourselves from others, but instead convey, “We are at this table together. Taste this! See how good God is.”

Brash, hot, saucy, arguing words burn. But kind, gracious words get swallowed. “His kindness leads us to repentance” (Romans 2:4 NET).

So, our kindness will win others to Him too.