The Blessings of Hot Water

[Jim Buchan]

People and tea bags really do have a lot in common—you never fully know what’s in them until they’re in hot water. Although unpleasant, adversity is often exactly what we need to reveal our character and the true strength of our commitments.

When the heat is on, everyone can see what we’re made of, whether positive or negative. Attitudes and inclinations we’ve succeeded in hiding during pleasant circumstances suddenly become revealed for all to see.

The church in the book of Acts was in hot water more often than not. Lots of persecution, lots of problems, lots of apparent setbacks. But through it all, the believers grew stronger and became more like Jesus. Rather than diminish during hard times, their love for one another kept increasing. And when threatened not to share their faith, they became bolder than ever.

If you’re in hot water today, you may not like some of the things you’re discovering about yourself. You may even become dis-illusioned for a while, because the Lord often uses adversities to remove the illusions from our lives—such as the illusion of self-sufficiency.

God loves you and intends this whole process for your good. All sorts of dross and impurities may be rising to the surface today, but you’re going to come out like pure gold in the end (Job 23:10). So go ahead and thank Him for putting you through the fire from time to time.