SACRED STRESS

𝑏𝑦 π‘€π‘–π‘˜π‘’ π‘†π‘Žπ‘›π‘β„Žπ‘’π‘§

This is a raw coffee bean. I plucked it from a coffee tree along our hiking trail. I tasted it, and boy, it’s bitter and has an unpleasant taste.

But when the raw coffee beans enter roasting and brewing process, you will be able to taste a rich and complex beverage the entire world knows and loves.

You see, before it becomes a popular beverage, the bean is subjected to temperatures way above boiling point. Inside the roaster, the environment is chaotic. The bean is tossed, turned, and heated.

But the pressure is not the end. It enters a transformative stage. Oils are released, sugars caramelize, and the hidden aroma is released.

We are much the same.

We often view stress as an enemy. But there is something sacred about stress.

When we are placed in the furnace of difficulties, we are not necessarily being destroyed. We are being roasted.

Without the friction of challenge, our character remains just like what’s in the palm of my hand: bitter and unpleasant.

It is often in the moments of highest pressure that our resilience, empathy, humility, and our wisdom is unlocked.

So, when the pressure rises, don’t panic. Pray.

β€œπ·π‘œ π‘›π‘œπ‘‘ 𝑏𝑒 π‘Žπ‘›π‘₯π‘–π‘œπ‘’π‘  π‘Žπ‘π‘œπ‘’π‘‘ π‘Žπ‘›π‘¦π‘‘β„Žπ‘–π‘›π‘”, 𝑏𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 π‘’π‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦ π‘ π‘–π‘‘π‘’π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›, 𝑏𝑦 π‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘¦π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘π‘’π‘‘π‘–π‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›, π‘€π‘–π‘‘β„Ž π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘›π‘˜π‘ π‘”π‘–π‘£π‘–π‘›π‘”, π‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘ π‘’π‘›π‘‘ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘žπ‘’π‘’π‘ π‘‘π‘  π‘‘π‘œ πΊπ‘œπ‘‘β€. π‘ƒβ„Žπ‘–π‘™π‘–π‘π‘π‘–π‘Žπ‘›π‘  4:6

Thank God for stress. Trust that He will take care of them. God may (or may not remove them), but one thing I’m sure of, your cross is lighter because Jesus carries it with you.

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