(Originally posted 7/2/2014)
I made granola the other day. While reading the recipe, the directions called for salt. On first glance, it seems kind of horrible. Who wants salty granola after all? But – having learned this lesson years ago with chocolate chip cookies – I followed the directions anyway: I added salt. It was an uncomfortable amount of salt and one part of my brain rebelled even as the other part followed obediently.
The result was very good tasting granola that was devoured within twenty-four hours of being made. It seems, as the recipe’s author stated, that a bit of salt actually draws out the best flavors of the other ingredients. Life is like that sometimes.
Sometimes, we need to give a bit of attention to some things that seem difficult. Sometimes, it’s even an uncomfortable amount of attention that needs to be given. When we do, though, we or others reap huge dividends for the investment. Whether it’s difficult people that need our attention, difficult tasks, awkward phone calls or requests that we just have to make, least favorite chores or nutrient-rich-but-disgusting vegetables, there are things we have to do that are a bit bitter to our senses. Still, often, it’s those very actions, veggies or relationships that make our day, week, month, diet or year bearable or fruitful. Often, it’s the slight giving of ourselves, our time, our resources that allows God to change people. So, we do them.
Sometimes, we do them because of the reward we reap. Other times, though, we try to soldier-on, thinking that the best thing is to just embrace the hardship and ignore the bitter taste. Don’t do that. Just as too much salt makes for horrible cookies, too much of the wrong kind of bitter parts of our lives can be disastrous. Some relationships need to be held at an arm’s length. Some tasks are good for a season and then best set aside. Some veggies, well…too many veggies makes this guy frustrated and bored with his eating and that can lead to unhealthy choices and decisions. (That’s why there’s bacon.) So, the point is this: I think it’s okay and even beneficial to assess our lives and be aware of what is sweet and what’s bitter. More than merely assessing how things taste and seem, it’s good to evaluate what is beneficial in our lives. Not all sweet things are good and not all bitter things are bad. Sometimes, the people we once thought to be salty or bitter can become a well of nourishment after receiving attention in moderation for a season. Sometimes, it’s the addition of the bitter- in right measure – that makes the sweet things more satisfying.
Questions:
What are some of those things for you? Are there people that you don’t really enjoy but still have to attend to? Do you give of yourself repeatedly, with frustration, because you feel you have to? Maybe you need to reevaluate the nature of the friendship and spend less time invested there.
Are there tasks that you do but despise doing them? How can you set limits on the time it takes to accomplish them? How can you make them more bearable? Can a friend join you in completing them? Can you set small rewards for yourself as you complete them in stages?
What has God called you to do in the Scriptures that is not necessarily fun or sweet to the tastebuds? What does it say about God that he would call you to do something unpleasant? Can he still be trusted? What does it say about your tastebuds and sensibilities that you don’t like what God has called you to do? Can they be trusted? If cookies require bitter salt to be excellent, could it also be that parts of life are improved by doing hard things?
Did God call Jesus to do anything that was bitter to the taste, but beneficial for life?
Is it possible that your embracing of a bitter thing could lead to life and sweetness for someone else?
How could you pray and invite God to move in your heart and life to do the hard things he’s set before you?
How could you encourage someone else who might have something difficult before them to do? What kind of encouragement have you needed or wanted in times of difficulty?