Beef Pickles

1 Corinthians 10:13 – No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. (NRSV)

I really like the new way to marinate tough meat: just place it in a plastic food bag, and pour a little of one's favourite salad dressing over it. Zip the bag shut, and toss the whole thing in the refrigerator for a few hours. Turn it over once or twice during the wait time.

The flavour of the final product varies according to the type of dressing used. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that the texture will change too — according to the length of time the meat is marinated. Too long and a juicy steak becomes quite sour and mushy and even unpleasant to eat. My husband called the last one a beef pickle.

People aren't much different. Some will take to marinating quite well, no matter the length of the trouble. They praise God in the midst of their distress and trust God to know when to pull them out of life's marinating sauce. Others complain so much that they choose not to recognize God's goodness in the midst of their misfortune. Years later, they are very sour and still demanding, "Why me?"

Let's ask ourselves — are we sweetly marinating? Or allowing ourselves to pickle?

Isaiah 43:2-3a – When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end — because I am God, your personal God, the Holy of Israel, your Saviour. (MSG)

Prayer: Lord, when we are in danger of becoming pickles, help us to remember that You have never let us down before and that You will not start now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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