If you are like most of us, Christmas is just a distant memory as we sit here in February. A distant memory except that I bet you still have box or two sitting in your garage that needs to go to the trash. My family had a couple boxes we needed to part ways with and since we are blessed to live in the country, I decided to take advantage of country living and burn the boxes. Don't worry, it had just rained and I didn't burn the house down or start a forest fire. But, for some reason, guys just like to burn things, and I am no exception.
A fire draws a stare doesn't it? You just can't help but look at it as it consumes the objects in its path. The cardboard boxes I had withered as the fire engulfed them and what was once a sturdy container turned into a whispy thin layer of ash. There was nothing left. As I stared at the pile of ash and dying flames, I remembered that not everything burns like a cardboard box. A glass bottle that finds its way into a fire is not consumed. When the fire goes out, the glass bottle may be charred and black on the outside, but it keeps its shape. It stands up to the fire and comes out with the same character that it had before it entered the fire. As I thought about that, it hit me... the reason the box and bottle came out of the fire differently was because of the makeup of each. The bottle was made out of material that doesn't burn, while the box was made up of material that burns like a candle.
We are much the same. Have you ever noticed that some folks can endure a cancer diagnosis, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, etc. better than others. Don't get me wrong, they hurt, they are charred and they are affected, but they don't wither away, they don't completely lose their shape. They lean on God and keep their faith and know that His ways are perfect. They know we will endure pain here on Earth, but we are on a journey to a much greater place and that our time on Earth is but a short overnight stay. So, some folks tend to focus on the greater purpose and it helps them through the hard times. I like to call the folks that have this type of enduring faith, the "bottles". They endure fire and come out the same or better because of what they are made of. They are made of faith in God and belief that God's plan is best and worthy to endure.
So, which are you today? Are you a box person or a bottle person? If you have the capacity to read this devotional, then you have the capacity to be a bottle person. Make that choice today.
"Dear friends, don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusal were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory.
-- 1 Peter 4:12-13
