Aside from leading to future hypertension, salt is a necessary ingredient in our lives. It teaches us the value of hard work as everyone tries to be worth their salt. Salt is also a major part of any recipe, even if it's just a pinch. Sometimes a pinch is enough.
Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth. We are meant to do great things, even if we ourselves sometimes feel less than even a pinch. On those days when you are a dash, or even a smidgen!, you are still a necessary ingredient in whatever God is cooking.
Our Lord warns us also about salt losing its flavor and becoming useless. What is salt without its saltiness? Small white rocks ? A sugar costume for the youth wrapped in sticky tape on Halloween? Perhaps, but it certainly cannot do what salt is meant to do- make things saltier.
God also tells us very challenging things in the gospels that sometimes seem impossible- be pure of heart, be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. Whoa! I'm just a little gradual of salt here man! Not enough to purify any heart, especially not my own. And perfect? I'm not even iodized!
But that's kind of the point. We aren't perfect; we aren't pure of heart. We are made to be like our Father but fall very much short. Jesus however does not. He is pure of heart, He is like the Father, He retains His flavor.
Purity demands perfection. You can't have something be mostly pure- it's extreme and demanding by its nature. And purity is demanding because it is something special. Something pure is something set apart. Why does God tell us to be pure and perfect? Because we are special; we are set apart; we are necessary. We are salt, and we must stay salty.
