Rock Salt and Lava Lamps – Sustaining Life

Greetings Dear Reader,

In the first season of Star Trek an episode, The Man Trap featured a salt vampire.  The creature literally sucked the salt from its victims killing them.  I was quite impressionable then at age six.  I quit using salt on my food and still rarely do to this day.

M-113 Creature

It was also when I learned that salt sustains life.  The debate continues about how much salt we need.  We can debate the levels but it is still true that human need salt to live.  Our blood, nervous system, and kidneys are just a few of the places in us where salt plays a vital role.

During my youth when I would participate in sports or other activities that cause high perspiration I learned that I did not retain salt and had to take salt tablets.  Without the right levels of salt my body would try to shut down in order to stop me from sweating out all the salt.  Again, the evidence was obvious that salt is necessary to sustain life and functionality.

When Jesus says we are to be the salt of the earth it makes me wonder just how far our duty to sustain life extends.  We live in a death based ecosystem.  This means that some levels of death are necessary to life.  It is necessary for seeds to go into the ground and die for plants to grow.  We take animal life to obtain meat. 

As a Christ follower all human life must be precious to me.  I must also respect all animal life.  This does not mean that I may not eat meat.  Christ made it clear that consuming meat was allowable.  That does not limit my responsibility to assure that what I consume is obtained in honorable ways.

I am also responsible to work to sustain life in others.  Every life must matter to me.  Whether it is the life of an enemy or an unborn baby I am to treat all life as precious.  I am not always sure how to work this our practically but I must see all life as worthy of sustenance and respect.

If I am to follow Christ then I need to embrace his view of the sacredness of life.  “Take up your cross and follow me” is part of being “the salt of the earth.”  My life must be about helping to create life from death in a world so marked and marred by death.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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