For over twenty years, Mary and I have lived in our two-story house on Davies Way in Aurora. That’s longer than we’ve ever lived anywhere. In addition to repainting rooms and replacing carpet, we’ve also gotten to know the neighbors around us—specifically, four families.
Over the past three years, as my affection for baking has grown, I’ve made a baked good the “go-to” Christmas gift for each of these families. Three have opted for my English muffins, while the fourth chose traditional sourdough.
Last weekend, I delivered muffins to the three families on my list. Once the deliveries—and the conversations—were complete, I returned to my baking kitchen and decided to sample the remaining “runt” of my baking litter.
The first bite exposed a major mistake—one I haven’t made in four years of baking. In my rush to get the muffins done and delivered, I had missed adding salt. The impact was immediate, distinct, and embarrassing. I quickly sent text apologies to my neighbors, along with a commitment to complete a “redo” soon. The following night, red-faced and all, I made good on that promise.
One and a half teaspoons.
In a recipe that produces more than three and a half pounds of dough, I missed an ingredient weighing less than ten grams—a fraction of the whole. Invisibly absent, but unmistakably impactful.
Salt.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”
(Matthew 5:13, ESV)
Salt isn’t optional; it’s essential to bring a bland loaf of dough to life.
Salt isn’t optional; it’s essential in our culture as well.
Jesus entered His culture—and our world—as salt. One life among the entirety of human existence. A single grain. A single voice. A single baby.
His life changed everything. Yes, everything.
This is why He declares that we are the same: salt—called both to preserve and to season a decaying and tasteless culture.
Outnumbered? Yes.
But not outmatched.
Salt changes everything it touches. And so should we.
With grace.
With humility.
With selflessness.
With hope.
With kindness.
With a message of transformation.
Seasoned.
Preserved.
Still looking for one more stocking stuffer this Christmas?
Try salt.
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