” . . . looking diligently lest any man fail of the Grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled . . .” Hebrews 12:15
Vinegar has many culinary uses, as celebrated by my collection of Victorian art glass cruets. In the bygone days of glorious glassware, vinegar adorned every well-appointed table. But except for cleaning coffee pots and washing windows, vinegar is useless without the gracious ingredients which make it palatable: sugar, salt, pepper, tasty herbs, spices, and oil. Certainly the bitterness of vinegar in a human spirit is nothing you would ever want to preserve in a gorgeous Victorian glass cruet!
Trials in life are a given. We all will have them at some time, and perhaps for most of the time we are here on earth. What do we do with these trials? How do we let them affect us? We can choose to let the sweet oil of the Holy Spirit fill our lives and draw others to our Lord. Or we can feed the destructive root of bitterness, the sour vinegar of those souls who doubt God’s wisdom in the details of their days.
I’m thankful that, while I was growing up, no one ever misled me to think that life would be easy. I’m thankful for upbeat parents who valued life and made the most of all circumstances, refusing to turn bitter when jobs soured or troubles set in. The old adage, “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade” is not just corny. It’s wise!
Most of all, I’m thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ whom I have trusted for His sacrifice and my salvation, at Calvary. He is risen! He is alive! His Spirit indwells those of us who have trusted Him, enabling us to let His light shine forth regardless of our circumstances!
When life hands us vinegar, we can choose to add those beautiful ingredients: sugar, salt, pepper, tasty herbs, spices, and OIL—the oil of God’s Holy Spirit! Then those around us will be edified, rather than defiled!
Margaret L. Been, ©2011
Grace with Salt -- Biblical Reflections by Margaret L. Been 