Salt

Have you ever seen a documentary on salt or done a little research on it? I’ve done both. Salt can be used and has been used for so many things. Besides the fact that it is a food enhancer, there are other uses. Throughout history it was used in medicines, to preserve meats, make pickled vegetables, and even as currency and partial salaries. We know that our bodies need salt to survive, but too much can cause health issues.

I grew up in Upstate New York, and made many trips to the Salt Museum on Onondaga Lake. There is so much history, interesting facts, and details of salt harvesting to be found in this museum. The museum tells of how salt was harvested in the area and how it once produced all of the salt consumed in the United States for a while. But other salt mines can be found throughout the world and each has its own history to tell.

A couple of years ago, I heard of a use for salt that I thought I’d try. You know those days where you need to wash your hair, but don’t have the energy or the time to do so? Okay, maybe I’m talking to the women at this point. Well, I heard that if you rub salt onto your scalp, that it would absorb the oils and your hair would look clean. For me, it didn’t quite work that way.

The salt stuck to my scalp. And it wouldn’t come off. I used my hair brush, a towel, and even a fine-toothed comb. But nothing. The salt simply would not come out of my hair. Needless to say, I ended up washing my hair that day.

Why is it we like to take shortcuts? Maybe we feel like we are getting away with something. Maybe we are lazy. Maybe we are in too much of a hurry and need to find a way to make up time. Whatever the reason, we all take shortcuts when we can and hope that in the end we’ll come out a little better.

Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts when it comes to our spiritual lives. We have been commissioned to study the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15); work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12-13); work at anything we do with all our heart (Colossians 3:23); and not to be lazy (Hebrews 6:12). And clearly in the Parable of the Gold Bags in Matthew 25, we are shown what our reward will be if we take shortcuts or are lazy. I don’t know about you, but when it comes to my relationship with Jesus, I don’t want to take the easy road. I want that relationship to one that I work at with my whole heart.

I can’t say the same for my hair. Since the salt incident, I’ve found a good dry shampoo product that I use when I’m running out of time or just plain don’t want to wash my hair. Now you know one of my secrets.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna