What Happens When You Reach the Boiling Point?

Have you ever noticed how people can respond very differently to adversity – how difficult circumstances can result in one person becoming better, while for another, hardships only leave them bitter? Better vs. bitter – what a stark contrast.

 

Recently I heard a speaker make an observation from nature that I was aware of but had never given much consideration. He said, “It’s the same boiling water that softens potatoes that hardens eggs.” 

For those of us who are fans of mashed potatoes and hard-boiled eggs, we thankful for this fact. Perhaps we could expand on this, noting that while boiling water can cause a severe burn, it also can be used sanitize and kills germs. Interesting, isn’t it?

 

Science tells us the specific boiling point for water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hot. But I wonder about people – individuals seem to have different boiling points. Some take a long time, slowly simmering, while others hit a boiling flash point very quickly. It’s important to know not only what our boiling point is, but also, what do we do when we reach it?

 

We can look at this from at least a couple of different angles. For instance, what triggers a person to reach a boiling point? This also varies from person to person. One seems to carry a perpetual chip on his or her shoulder, almost daring people to knock it off, while another maintains a fairly even keel, not inclined at all to display anger.

 

The Bible offers a number of contrasting observations about both kinds of folks. Proverbs 12:16, for example, states, “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” Then we read, “A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly” (Proverbs 14:29). Yet another proverb observes, “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel” (Proverbs 15:18).

 

One verse even advises that we avoid people who have a habit of reaching their boiling points in a hurry: “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared” (Proverbs 22:24-25). Losing one’s temper quickly is not a character trait to be admired, nor to be emulated.

 

But getting back to the potato that softens in boiling water, while the egg hardens, our response to adverse circumstances and hardships can determine whether they make us harder or softer. This may be one reason we’re advised in Romans 5:3-5 to “glory in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

 

When we read this, many of us are probably tempted to say, “glory [exult] in my tribulations [sufferings]? Are you kidding me? You have no idea what I’ve been going through!” No, we don’t. But these aren’t simplistic platitudes we’re offering. It’s the counsel and wisdom we find in the Word of God. 

 

Because as we follow the progression, we find that if we hang in there, tribulations can produce in us perseverance, a determination to come out on the other side as a better person. Which leads to strong, resilient character, and finally, an unwavering hope and confident assurance that if the Lord has allowed difficult circumstances in our lives, He’s intending to use them for our good.

 

The apostle James opened his New Testament letter with a similar sentiment, stating, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4). 

 

Have you ever wished you could be more patient? Here’s a hint: Don’t pray for patience, because God may answer that prayer by sending situations in your life that will require you to be patient, whether you like it or not. But think about it. Trials that test our faith can give us more patience, often because we have no recourse but to endure them patiently. And who wouldn’t want to be described as “perfect and complete, lacking nothing”?

 

Too often, unfortunately, people don’t regard their trials and tribulations with this perspective. Instead, they respond with anger, or in despair, wanting to lash out at God – and others – with the complaint, “Why me?!” Instead of seeing hardships as divinely fashioned opportunities to become better people, they instead become embittered, refusing to advance in perseverance and build character, or to grow in the quality we call patience.

In a spiritual sense, unlike in nature where water has a fixed boiling point of 212 degrees, we can allow the Lord to boost our inner boiling points to such levels that people around us will rarely, if ever, witness us blowing off steam uncontrollably or bubbling over in fits of anger. But it requires faith and a steadfast conviction that as Romans 8:28 promises, He is causing “all things to work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose.” 

Perspective Makes All the Difference

Viewed from above, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
looks almost like a storybook village.

Recently I heard about a man visiting New York City for the first time. The mass of people walking down the sidewalks in front of the towering buildings, and the cars and taxicabs jostling for position on the streets, seemed chaotic and confusing. “How can anyone get anywhere, or get anything done, in this place?” he wondered.

Then a friend invited him to go up the historic Empire State Building and view Manhattan from the 86^th and 102^nd floor observatories. From those vantage points the tourist gained a very different perspective of the activity below. Traffic seemed to be moving in an orderly, controlled manner, and people (despite appearing no bigger than fleas) were following their respective courses unimpeded by the surrounding crowds.

Below, the brick streets might present an intriguing
pattern, but lack the grandeur seen from above.

Over and over I’ve realized the view from above makes things look strikingly different, as I discovered years ago while visiting the picturesque city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. Below, shops seemed quaint and pleasant. But from atop the courthouse in the centrum, this community sometimes called the most photographed city in Europe took on a much greater scope and more impressive grandeur.

Life has a way of being that way, too. When we’re caught up in the muck and mire of everyday living, life often seems to be lacking any sense of order or purpose. And when we encounter inevitable adversities – family issues, work challenges, health problems, financial struggles and unexpected calamities – we become convinced that pointless chaos reigns.

At such times it helps to take a step back, if possible, to gain a better perspective. Sometimes that “step back” is achievable only with the passing of time. But often we discover the turmoil we are enduring – or have endured – had “rhyme and reason” we couldn’t comprehend at the time.

A job we thought perfectly suited for, only to see it offered to someone else. The baby arrives with problems requiring the little one to remain in neo-natal intensive care for several weeks. The air conditioner quits working, right in the most dogged days of summer. The annual checkup with the physician reveals a condition you didn’t suspect, demanding immediate attention. And so it goes.

In the moment, these crises seem overwhelming. They suddenly thrust your life into turbulence, like a ship wandering into the midst of a hurricane. How do we keep from sinking?

For people of faith, the response is usually a mixture of prayer, perseverance – and panic. Why don’t disasters give advance warning, put themselves on our calendars weeks in advance so we can adequately prepare?

Most times these crises do come to an conclusion and then – and only then – we might be able to get the “view from above,” perspective that was lacking as the storm was swirling around us.

Someone once put it this way: It’s like we’re the ground troops during a battle, while God is flying a helicopter, viewing and guiding the conflict from above.

We’ve heard it said so many times, it’s seems trite, a cliché. But it’s true just the same: Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

In the midst of whatever trial we’re facing, all we can see is NOW, the immediate. The what’s and why’s of things happening are lost to us since we’re too busy reacting to whatever circumstances present themselves at that instant. But God has the overhead view, the Empire State Building vista, where believe it or not, things aren’t as random and chaotic as they seem.

As He promises in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The Lord is saying He understands we can’t make sense of hardships and pain we’re currently experiencing, but He’s working and using them for our ultimate good.

The next time you encounter a situation that seems beyond your capacity to handle, think of yourself as standing on 5^th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. All around you are throngs of people, cars and taxis. Craziness seems to reign. Then envision yourself transported atop the Empire State Building, gazing down at the now almost serene-looking scene you just left. That’s God’s perspective, the one that matters.

‘It Could Always Be Worse’

Recently a friend who has been dealing with a very stubborn form of cancer observed how common it is to hear people say something like, “I have my problems, but they’re not as bad as so-and so’s.” And sometimes, my friend finds herself the “so-and-so” they compare themselves with.

Admittedly, I’ve occasionally said things like that myself. There’s something consoling about the idea that no matter what obstacles we’re facing – health issues, financial problems, family or career challenges – there’s always someone confronting even worse circumstances.

But have you ever wondered, were we to follow this chain of “worse than” to its very end, who is the person that has it so bad he (or she) can’t look to someone else for a measure of consolation?

The truth is, although it may feel somewhat encouraging to recognize our situations could be even worse, whatever difficulty we’re facing at any given time is as tough as it gets. When I was in college, I couldn’t believe the overwhelming pressure of final exams. But when I started working on newspapers, I realized compared to press time deadlines, those exams were like a walk in the park.

Trials and tribulations of life, if we let them, strengthen us and equip us for even greater challenges in the future. It’s similar to exercise: You have to be able to run a mile before you can begin preparing for a marathon. When I started cardiac rehabilitation following surgery more than three years ago, lifting 50 pounds was a struggle. Now I can lift well over 100 pounds in various ways – a 50-pound lift wouldn’t be a strain at all.

In Matthew 6:34 Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow…. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” The challenge for us is not to find someone worse off so we can feel better about our present plight, but to persevere through whatever dilemma confronts us.

There are times, no matter where we are in our journey through life, that we conclude, “I can’t do this!” In retrospect, those can prove to be some of the greatest times in our lives, because they afford the opportunity to experience the power of Christ, realizing the truth of His promise, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Beauty in the Scars

People collect all manner of things – coins, stamps, dishes, comic books, trading cards, antique furniture, vintage toys. Something we all collect with the passing of years, like it or not, are scars. My wife and I were talking about this recently, in light of surgeries we’ve undergone – major and minor – that left permanent physical reminders.

I also have scars on my hands from encounters with sharp objects. One was etched in my skin by the edge of a metal door frame while carrying a large box out of a store years ago. The others? I’ve long forgotten how I got those.

We also acquire other kinds of scars over time, although some aren’t outwardly visible. They can be byproducts of extremely difficult work situations, overwhelming financial challenges, painful relationships or other issues. Those problems may have gotten resolved, but their memory remains imbedded in our psyches.

But scars aren’t necessarily bad. Surgical scars, for instance, can be reminders of successful procedures to correct defects or heal diseased organs. Scars of everyday struggles can also be beneficial, prompting us to remember lessons that helped transform us into better people.

That person who used to scrape against you like sandpaper might have been God’s means for smoothing rough edges. On-the-job hardships may have helped you to refine skills – or confirm your need to change careers. Agonies over mishandled finances might have taught you to become a wiser steward of your resources.

The Bible tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Memories of hard times in the past may remain, but if we have learned from them, shaping us into more mature and complete individuals, the pain – and scars we bear as souvenirs – were worth enduring.