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Jun 15, 2022

 

Let’s talk canning! Recently we have undertaken the adventure of learning to preserve our veggies by means of canning. Day one was spent trying our hand at canning summer squash using a pressure canner. After many, many hours of the canning process we had canned 36 jars. The next day, after the setting period ended, we discovered that 12 of the 36 jars had not sealed. Another 12 or so had more siphoning (liquid loss) than is ideal. Since this was our test run, we were not too terribly disappointed but knew we had missed the mark and needed to do more learning. Like any good 21st century citizen, I took to google and discovered that temperature fluctuation was likely the candidate for the siphoning as well as potentially for the lack of sealing. In short, we weren’t keeping our jars hot enough. Additionally, I learned that we should wipe the rims in order to keep any residue from interfering with the seal.

 

Armed with this new knowledge we decided to try round two a few days later and went this time for pickles. We pressure canned 27 jars and discovered the next day that all but 3 had sealed! We celebrated our success by dating the lids and stacking the 24 in the pantry for safe keeping. Since we were headed to a neighbor’s house for lunch and a day in the pool, I grabbed a jar of unsealed pickles that would need to be consumed within the week and headed out. Of course, I gave the disclaimer that I could not vouch for whether they would taste good and we stuck them in the fridge. Lunch time rolled around, and I decided to be the first to try in case they were not savory. I stuck my fork into the jar to grab a pickle and everything but the skin fell into a snotty, mushy mess. Ugh! Failure and now that was public failure.

 

I was disappointed but not discouraged as I have become more and more accustomed to the fact that when one steps into a completely new way of life the learning curve is large. While we had made progress and overcome our initial shortcomings, we were now faced with another area that was falling short. Once again, I took to google where I discovered that pressure canning pickles would obliterate them into a mushy mess. Thank you, captain, obvious! If only I had taken the time to dig in and do a little more research specific to the particular situation I was moving into. In my defense, I did follow a recipe that gave me directions on how much pressure and how long to pressure can pickles, but obviously my source was not the best place as it gave no warning of the stumbling blocks to pressure canning such items.

 

As I was reflecting tonight on the process, I began to seek the Holy Spirit for wisdom regarding the spiritual parallel and lesson, as I believe there is always such. He led me to consider just how much of a learning curve there is to walking in newness of life with Jesus. Those of us who began our relationship with Christ at an early age have had years, or maybe decades, of testing and trying, celebrating and failing, and learning to seek the true source of all knowledge and wisdom prior to facing particular circumstances. There have been many times throughout my walk where I have said, “If only I could recognize (fill in the blank) before I fall into it.” For me, in my younger years it was anger. If only I could get a hold of it before I blew a gasket rather than after when I had escalated a situation or was living with heaps of regret and guilt over a moment. For others maybe it’s falling off the wagon in regards to an addiction, maybe it’s spinning a lie, maybe it’s unfaithfulness of one sort or another. The list could go on and on. The good news is, however; that the longer we truly walk seeking out the ways of righteousness the deeper the Holy Spirit takes us. The more He renews our minds, the wiser we become and the less often we fall, but make no mistakes while the learning curve decreases, we will never stop falling short until the day we see Glory. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

 

Thankfully when we choose to receive the grace of God by believing in Christ all of our sins and failures are atoned for. We do not have to pay the price eternally, but we do still often have to face the consequences of those shortcomings here on earth. The key is to get back up and keep trying, but to remember to do so by “seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). This chapter covers things like prayer, fasting, treasures in heaven, and worry. Jesus teaches us within these words the very keys to walking this life in a way that brings glory. That is all part of the learning curve, the working out of our salvation, and is still a bit difficult at times even for those with a lifetime of experiences. This also got me to pondering, what about those then who have not yet received or who are newly born in Christ? Those who are still in the place where they are uncertain whether to step into new life and when they do they find the learning curve is huge!

 

Maybe you are thinking a similar thought to the one that occurred to me immediately following that wonder. The bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here.” I’ve heard that quoted all my life in regard to what it is like to walk in the newness of Christ. It is to be transformed. I agree, after all it is biblical, but I don’t believe that is instantaneous. Let’s look at that verse in context. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 starts off by speaking of the fact that we are “currently living in an earthly tent and awaiting the day when we are clothed with our heavenly dwelling. It further states that while we are in this tent we groan and are burdened. We are then assured that we have received the Holy Spirit as a deposit and that in the meantime we make it our goal to please Him as we will all appear before the judgement seat.” Verse 11 begins by telling us that “since, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others” and in verse 14 it says, “Christ love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all” and verse 15 “that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again”, and verse 16 “So from now on we regard NO ONE (emphasis mine) from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.” Now we reach the initial verse discussed, verse 17, which states “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ…” The remainder of the chapter goes on to discuss reconciliation and the ministry of reconciliation. It even states, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.” I don’t know about you, but for me that reads a little differently in context.

 

The message that stirs within my heart is this, we are tasked with being the spiritual google for those who are not yet reconciled or who are newly reconciled. We are not called to pass judgement but rather to show mercy and to be long suffering even as Christ is. In fact, He so longs for those stumbling in the darkness to come to the light that He tarries in His return. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is PATIENT WITH YOU (emphasis mine), not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” If God is patient with us, we too must be patient with one another. That means we are patient with the alcoholic, the drug addict, the gang member, the liar, the cheater, the thief, the hypocrite in the church pew, the misguided or traumatized child/youth, the one or ones who abused, offended, wronged, or wounded us, and even ourselves. It is time that we “put off the old self” (Ephesians 4:22) (which by the way also indicates that transformation is a journey and requires some work) in order that we might help others to see both God and mankind not with worldly eyes but with spiritual eyes as we now see both in a way “that has become new.”

 

And so my friends, until next time, let’s stop pressure cooking those that are tender and rather walk in love, mercy, and forgiveness just like Jesus did.

 

˜ Jen