The Boiling Point
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 1 Peter 4:12-13
Hey! Hope you are having a great weekend. As I stood in the bathroom doing my hair this morning/afternoon, this came to my mind. I hope it blesses you!
In science, there are three states of matter: a solid, liquid, and gas. The process of changing from one state to another can only occur if the element is heated or cooled. For example, take plain ole water. The solid state of water as we commonly know it is called ice. Ice is made when water freezes and solidifies at 32°F/0°C. Ice melts to become water(liquid) when the surrounding temperature is higher than that (and a few other physics ideals not needed here). Water becomes the oh not so friendly steam (gas) when it is heated to 212°F/100°C. It can begin to separate into its elemental parts, hydrogen and oxygen, when heated beyond that. Because you cannot really tell how hot steam is, that is why its always a warning to be careful; ever had a steam burn...VERY painful. Steam condenses into water when said surrounding temperature falls below that as well. Okay, well when a solid element reaches its boiling point, it changes phase. After pressure and high temperatures are applied, it liquefies and often becomes easier to work with; i.e. liquid gold is used to make jewelry.
God has a way of making and organizing situations in life get us to our various boiling points---no person's boiling point is the same---so that we can become easier for Him to work with. One situation after another comes at us, slowly raising our temperature so that we eventually change phase; we liquefy so that He can do a great work in us. Now if I were gold, whose boiling point is at 5084.6 °F/2807.0 °C---mind you it is already a liquid at this point, it melts from what we wear at 1947.9741 °F---I'm sure I could take a lot more than 100°F outside to get irritable. In fact some of us have very high boiling points. You may have experienced death of a loved one, love loss, job loss, someone in your family driving you crazy, and then, simply someone cutting you off is the ignition to your fire.
Sadly, I cannot tell you exactly what God is trying to teach you, because our lessons are often not the same and have different applications. In my case it can be to trust Him, that I cannot help everyone and quite simply some people do not want to be helped or to change, and to be patient. Sometimes we reach our boiling point several times only to cool down too much and have to be reheated again. I will tell you that God gives us hope! So rest in knowing that it is for your good; do not resist the boiling point, because after all the impurities evaporate during boiling, you will be perfectly prepared for His work. Changing for God is good!
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