Tools in the Ruck: Salt, light, and living water (Part 1)
“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.”
Matthew 5:13 (MSG)
Welcome to another part of our “Tools in the Ruck” series. You can start from the beginning by checking out this post.
Salt and hydration as deep human needs
Keeping basic items for survival and thriving close at hand is the foundation of why I carry a ruck in the first place. If I get stuck somewhere and need to get back home or wait for help to arrive, I generally have what I need to do that and not wind up in the hospital or on the news. There is a basic rule of thumb in wilderness survival that comes in handy when thinking through what essentials to pack. It goes like this: we can survive three minutes without oxygen, three hours without shelter/clothing in a harsh environment, three days without water, and three weeks without food. This Rule of Threes orients our priorities of work when we get into trouble, and dictates parts of our packing list (as well as how much to be packed). Recently, I have been focusing on the water part of that equation with a nutrition coach from our local Natural Grocers store. There is a growing body of research to support the idea that you should drink a number of fluid ounces of water equal to double your weight in pounds per day. I don’t know about you, but I have the urge to pee just thinking about that number. I shared that with my coach and do you know what he said? “Dan, you need more salt in your diet. Your body needs it to get the water into your cells most efficiently, and not just flowing straight to your kidneys.” I was floored. More salt? Isn’t that bad for your blood pressure or something? That turns out also to be only… partially true. He recommended a pinch of salt in my morning glass of water, and using hydration tabs throughout the day in my water bottle.
The spiritual side
I got to thinking about this in a spiritual sense. If we want to be filled with the living water of Christ, we need to also have the salt of other believer around us. Without the salt, the water just goes through us and into the toilet. Unabsorbed. Less effective. Unused. With the salt, it gets to where it’s most needed and permeates every cell of our bodies! This is why it’s so important to read and pour over Scripture in community. Read it out loud to each other. Ask your neighbor what bothers them about the passage. What strikes them? What’s interesting? How can we apply it to our lives? Wrestle with it together! Help your fellow Christians this week to be permeated with the living water of Christ. Ask yourself, are you getting enough salt in your diet?
