Everytime somebody in our clan gets married, my grandfather is always asked to give a speech on secrets to a good marriage. Believe it or not he gives the same speech every time he is asked to speak.“

S.A.L.T is the secret to a good marriage according to him. He begins by telling this story:

There was an old king who one day asked his three daughters one by one if they loved him. The first daughter replied that he loved his father as much as she loves all the gold in the kingdom. The king was so happy to hear how much he was loved by his first daughter. The second daughter said that he loved her father as much she loves all the silver in the kingdom. The king was so delighted with this. Finally he asked his youngest daughter how much she loves him. The youngest daughter replied, “Father, I love you as much as I love salt.” The king was so angry why her youngest daughter compared her love to that only of salt so she banished her to serve in the kitchen.

While serving in the kitchen, the king’s youngest daughter told the cook not to put salt in all the king’s dishes. As the days passed along the king slowly loss his appetite for the food that was served until finally he became very sick. When he asked the cook why the food did not taste as tasty as before, the cook explained that it was his youngest daughter’s instruction not to put salt in all the meal that was served before him. The king was furious so the youngest daughter was summoned. When asked to explain her actions she told her father that she was demonstrating how much she loved him. The king finally understood her daughter’s point. He finally realized that his youngest daughter loved him so much because he cannot live without salt.

After that introduction, my grandfather then continues that the key to a successful, loving and a good marriage is SALT. His main points are then highlighted by the first letters of the word “SALT.”

S - Share - Husbands and wives must share invidual blessing that they recieve with each other. They must share not only physical things but good experiences as well. They have to remember that when they enter married life, they are considered as one flesh. Sharing also speaks of helping each other with the burdens and responsibilities in the marriage.

A - Attention - While it is normal for the husband and wife to spend some time with their friends or their interest, they must give the bulk of their attention to each other. Sometimes the wife complains that the husband just comes home and sits in front of the T.V watching sports. Or the husband complains that the wife keeps on chatting with her friends on the phone.

L - Live within your means - Statistics has shown that the number one cause of quarrels between couples is money problems. Before and after marriage, each couple must sit down and set some guidelines as to how money should be handled. In order to avoid any serious conflict, a budget has to be set and expenses should be contained within the budget without also forgetting to set aside some money for emergency savings and investments.

T - Trust - When you fail to trust your spouse it shatter his or her confidence thereby limiting his or her capacity to succeed in any endevour in life. That is why trust is considered as the foundation for any good marriage.

While the principles of S.A.L.T may look simplistic however it is proven to work as my grandparents has applied it in their marriage and they had a good strong marriage which stood the test of time. It is my hope and prayer that you apply the principle of salt in your respective marriage as well.