11/19/2021
Adversity is a problem we all have to deal with to one degree or another, at one time or another in our lives. Like knives, troubles and trials can either make us or break us, depending on whether we take them by the blade or the handle.
“For all the heartaches and the tears, For all the anguish and the pain; For gloomy days and fruitless years, And for the hopes I’ve lived in vain;
“For ev’ry hill I’ve had to climb, For ev’ry stone that bruised my feet, For all the blood and sweat and grime, For blinding storms and burning heat;
“My heart now sings a grateful song, These were the things that made me strong; I do give thanks, for now I know, These were the things that made me grow.” Barry and Paul Epps.
The story is told of a daughter that complained to her father that her life was miserable. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time…of solving one problem only to have another take its place.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen where he filled three pots with water and put them on the stove. Once the water began to boil, he put some potatoes in one pot, some eggs in another, and some ground coffee in the third. After some time, he turned off the heat, placed the potatoes in one bowl, the eggs in another, poured the coffee into a cup, and asked his daughter what she saw.
“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. “Look more closely,” he said. “The potatoes are soft, the eggs are hard boiled, the aroma of the coffee is pleasant, and the taste delicious.” “But what does it all mean?” she asked.
Her father explained, “The potatoes, the eggs, and the coffee all faced the same adversity…the boiling water, but each reacted differently. The potatoes went in firm, but came out soft. The eggs went in weak and fragile, but came out firm and hard. But the coffee is unique. It changed the water and created something new and delightful.
Then he asked her, “Which one are you…a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?” In life things happen around us over which we have no control, but at times like that all that really matters is what happens within us.
Sometimes the burdens of life leave us with dry eyes, an old faith, a hard heart, and cold prayers. What can be done at times like that?
“My eyes are dry, My faith is old, My heart is hard, My prayers are cold. And I know how I ought to be, Alive to You and dead to me. What can be done to an old heart like mine? Soften it up with oil and wine. The oil is You, Your spirit of love. Please wash me anew in the wine of your love.” Keith Green.
