On the back of many product cans we have around our homes is a warning label that reads this way:
Contents under pressure. Do not puncture or incinerate. Do not heat for any purpose. Do not store at temperatures above 110°F. Keep out of reach of children.
The contents in these cans are purposefully placed under internal pressure so much so that any external pressure past a certain point could be very hazardous.
As I was thinking about this, I thought about us when we are in seasons of intense pressure. We all will go through seasons like these. The Bible tells us that God refines, tests and chooses us in the furnace of affliction (Isaiah 48:10).
He uses pressure to shape and mold us into the people He calls us to be.
Sometimes, though, instead of resting in the Lord under the weight of the situation we’re in, we can start to get restless. & in our forgetting that God is actually using our circumstances to strengthen us, we can make decisions in haste that end up adding more pressure into our lives.
In the same way we shouldn’t puncture a pressurized can, or leave it in a hot environment, is the same reason we should wait on God and move with His Spirit when we’re going through a time of crushing.
The extra pressure we add into our lives can be so hazardous to us and cause damage that the LORD never wanted us to experience.
In His goodness and in His mercy, He works all things together for our good, so even our anxious decisions will be turned around for our good. But the effects of those decisions can be very painful to heal from.
When we’re already under pressure, let’s not add to it. Let’s place our trust in God and know that the pressure is making us more resilient, more wise, and more equipped for the plans God has for us.
Amen!
Britnee Bradshaw