Several years ago, I was involved in a performing arts ministry as a Small Group Leader. One of the major highlights of this position was getting my group of teen girls together for sleepovers. On one particular occasion, I had purchased instant oatmeal as part of their breakfast. The kind that has the little sugar eggs in it that turn into dinosaurs when you add the hot water. At least, that's what they are supposed to do. But we could not get the eggs to melt properly, and eventually just gave up and ate the oatmeal without dinosaurs. It was a tad disappointing, and I was sad that the girls had been excited to relive a little bit of their childhoods, only to have it fall so far short of the expectations.
A few days later I decided to have some for my breakfast. I boiled the water, poured it over the oatmeal in my bowl and, to my surprise, it worked! The little eggs quickly dissolved into tiny candy dinos. Standing in my kitchen staring at my breakfast, I felt God nudge my heart.
"Amazing how things work when you follow directions."
Uhhhh... Excuse me Lord?
"The eggs melted to reveal the dinosaur shapes because you used water that was hot enough, and stirred the oatmeal so that it was distributed through out. You were paying attention to the directions, and so received the intended outcome."
I thought back to the other morning. We had boiled the kettle of hot water, but then left it sitting there, while we laughed and assembled other things to go with our oatmeal. The water would have cooled considerably before we poured it on the oatmeal. Of course! The lukewarm water was not as effective in melting the candy coating from the little candy dinosaurs as it would have been if we had used it right away. The temperature mattered!
"Imagine how much further along you might be in becoming who I made you to be, if you weren't constantly trying to lower the temperature of the water I want to use?"
Oof.
Who could I be by now if I weren't constantly trying to manipulate the situation for my own comfort? How many of my struggles with habits and attitudes could I have avoided, if I weren't so busy telling God how to do His job?
If I truly believe that:
God "works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes" (Romans 8:28)
And
I am saved by Grace, for good works that God prepared in advance for me. (A "Nikita paraphrase" of Ephesians 2:8-10)
Then should I not also believe that the hard things I encounter are not a surprise to God and that He knows what I need in order to accomplish these good works? If I believe these thing to be true, then I need to trust that He knows how to melt away the things I need to let go of in order to reveal what He has always intended for my life. I don't want to live a life full of half dissolved dino eggs. I want everything God has designed me for.
"My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have it's full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4 NRSV
Do you ever find yourself trying to control or avoid uncomfortable growing opportunities? Do you also tell God how much He can do in your life, when, and in what way? You may be missing out the fullness God has for you. Stop waiting for the water to cool before you follow God's leading.
Because the temperature really does matter.
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