Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and I'm a big fan of Earl Grey tea. Whether I'm in Starbucks or at Denny’s, or if everyone’s having hot tea, I'll always order freshly brewed Earl Grey. I mean, don’t you love that rich smell of bergamot. My husband Ken knows this and it’s why we keep a teakettle, kind of a permanent fixture on our stove. And in the evening after dinner, when Ken puts on the kettle, I love hearing that thing sing when it gets steaming. Recently Ken purchased a new teakettle – the whistle on our old one gave out, and although we could get one without a whistle, I don’t know, there's something just so delightful about hearing that teapot sing from the other room. And that little teapot reminds me of something a friend once said; he wrote, “Are you a "teakettle" Christian? The world wants to know how this God you talk about makes a difference in your life when you're sitting on the burner. Teakettle Christians can be up to their necks in hot water and still sing! So when things heat up, remember others are watching and learning.” Love that!
Not only are others learning by the way you respond to the heat, God either gets the glory or He doesn’t. Trials come to change us, teach others, and brighten God's glory to sustain you through it all – now, some trials involve pressure… like a crucible… trials that press you in on all sides; trials that crush your pride… all the pounding and pressure. You feel squeezed, hedged in on all sides. But Isaiah 48 speaks about a different kind of trial when God says, “I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.” Many trials involve heat; and when things heat up, you melt… your soul withers, your joy dries up and your heart feels like wax.
But that little illustration with the teakettle makes for a good parable – because I know when I'm up to my neck in hot water; when God stokes the fire and turns up the burner, I'll find myself doing what a teakettle does – I'll sing; “be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side” … Or I'll comfort myself with "Day by day and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here"… Or maybe I’ll sing, "Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me." Now I know what you’re thinking, You might think I sound like a Pollyanna; maybe you’re thinking it’s just corny. Uh-uh; for me, singing is a way of turning down the heat. It's a very personal way of cooling off my spirits and refreshing my outlook on things. What can I say?! When my heart is melting, that's the way I handle the heat. The world wants to know how this God I talk about makes a difference in my life when I'm sitting on the burner. Look, I may be up to my neck in hot water sometimes, but I can still sing.
And, hey, I invite you to sing with me. Not long ago I recorded a selection of my favorite hymns and Gospel songs and, well, I'd like to send you the CD. To get your CD, just stop by my radio page today at joniandfriends.org and ask for Joni’s Gospel songs. And then, when God tests you in the furnace of affliction; when He pushes up the thermostat; when the heat gets rising, lift a song to the Lord; sing a song from the heart… He can’t help but honor and bless the effort. Today, what sort of trial is God taking you through? One of pressure or one of heat. If God is stoking the fire under you, let out a whistle; better yet, let out a song of praise – others will be blessed and built up by your example!
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JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
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