Hello Worthy Family! My name is Yvette, and I've been training at WTF for almost two years now and just recently started as a coach in December. I've been a certified fitness trainer for over 10 years and love helping others accomplish their fitness goals. I've lived in Gahanna for over 16 years now and love the community, especially the community at WTF. I love that we support and encourage each other on all levels!
I hope you enjoy the devotion today, have a great week!
Life is hard. No matter who we are, hardships can be just around the corner. It could be your marriage ending, a medical diagnosis, your child making bad decisions, or the loss of a loved one.... all of these things are out of our control. They can break our heart and turn our world upside down in a blink of an eye. Some troubles are more tragic than others, but the struggle is still very real. My struggles are real, and so are yours.
I have nights that I wake up feeling anxious. I will lay there, tired as can be, with my eyes wide open and my mind racing. I wonder why God is allowing this to happen to me. And I pray, and when I pray I am reminded that the Christian life is not always easy. We live in this fallen world and are surrounded by heartbreak, sickness, death, and evil. Sometimes things happen to us as a result of another person's decision to choose sin. Their choice may have consequences that affect us even though we are walking with God and relying on his power and direction in our life. Sometimes the struggle is of our own doing. If we are not seeking God and his will, we may get in the way and cause our own trouble. We have been given free will to choose. To choose good or evil. To sin or not sin. To choose Him or the world.
The good news is, that God is here. If we turn to Him each and every time and turn over the struggle to Him, He is there. He may not remove or change what we are dealing with, but He will be there to walk through it with us. To comfort us, to love us, and to remind us of who we are. His child that can conquer all things through Christ. When adversity and struggles come our way, how will we react?
When going through a struggle, I often remind myself of this story:
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minute she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, “What’s the point, mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity… boiling water – but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after being through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked the daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death, a break up, a financial hardship, or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?
How do you handle the adversity?
ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
"For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. " (Phillipians 4:13 NLT)
“He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45b, NIV)
"2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." (James 1:2-3 NLT)
Much love,
Coach Yvette
