Many people reading this message are going through hard times right now. I wish it were not so, but it is true. With our struggles over Covid, a contentious election, political intrigue and a growing division in our country, it seems we all feel like we are in a boiling pot, so to speak.
I Peter 4:12 says, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire.” Peter says that fiery trials are a part of life. None of us look forward to trials and hardship, but without them, we will never enjoy the fruit of maturity. Billy Graham said, “Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.”
The adult daughter of a chef in Michigan came home complaining that she was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.
Her father listened while he filled three pots with water and turned the burners to high. In one pot he put eggs, in another potatoes, and in the third ground coffee beans. While his daughter was still complaining about her troubles, the boiling process ended. The dad turned off the burners, took the potatoes and eggs, and placed them in a bowl. Her father then strained the coffee and gave her a cup. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs, and the coffee beans had each faced the same adversity—the boiling water. Each reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but became softened. The egg was fragile until it was put in the boiling water and the inside became hard. Hot water brought out the best of what was in the coffee beans.
"Which are you?" the dad asked his daughter. "When adversity puts you in ‘hot water’, how do you respond?” In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but what truly matters most is what we choose to allow within us!
Percolating for Him,
Jim Stark, Washington Christian Church