Did you know that it is nearly impossible to crack a fully intact raw eggshell by squeezing it inside one hand? You should try it some time. I have, and I just couldn't squish it. Not only can this seemingly fragile exterior withstand the constant pressure and heat from the mother hen's underside (or a constricting hand). The heat is exactly what it needs to grow. I suppose God made it that way. Now microwaves are an entirely different story altogether. I wish I could tell you that through common sense alone I know that microwaving a raw egg inside its shell does NOT hard boil it. But alas, the other day I got hungry... and impatient... and curious. I had microwaved eggs without the shell inside of plastic contraptions with some degree of success, though they never tasted as good as they did on the stovetop. So perhaps the eggshell would give it added protection, inside the closed, latched plastic egg carton in which I cooked it. Needless to say, my culinary experiment did not end well. I think I wiped out more raw egg from inside of the microwave and the plastic egg container than those shells could have possibly contained. Of course, the whole process took far more time and effort than if I would have dropped those three eggs in a small pot of water and let them boil. Oddly enough the whole microwave egg debacle (let's call it "Egg-gate") reminds me of God's purposes for our lives. Like the eggshells, God provides us with so much more strength than we realize. Like the eggs, when we are placed where God would have us, that extreme pressure and heat that we think could suffocate or crush us actually helps us grow. I have heard it said that for those who remain faithful, when Satan tries to break us, God will use that very thing to make us.
The Bible has a word that describes the kind of life that seeks to follow God's plans and purpose for us: holiness. Both the original Hebrew word (qadash) and Greek word (hagios) used to describe holiness in the Old and New Testaments mean different or set apart. But holiness is about more than just being weird. It means that no matter what the world's influence tempts us to do and believe, we choose to honor God's design for our lives.
The key is to lean in faithfulness into God's way of doing things. When we branch out on our own way of thinking, trying to take our own shortcuts to circumvent God's will, it often ends up exploding like a microwaved eggshell. When will we learn that God's way is best? Thank the Lord that unlike poor Humpty Dumpty, our great King can always put our broken lives back together again. No matter what our failure, weakness or sin, there is a loving God ready to restore, redeem and bless the hearts that come in humility, repentance and faith.
Click here To read more about what it means to be holy.
Click here to read God's promise to those who turn from their own understanding and seek God's will.
Click here to order a copy of Karen's book, An Anointed Mess: Discovering the Daily Adventure of Grace. Click here to listen to the Daily Adventure in Grace Podcast.
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