In life, we are the hamburger patties of the food chain. We can be mostly meat but there is a little bit of fat as well. Some of us are ground beef, some are chicken, others are vegan patties while some of us are turkeys (he-he).
What we do every day, where we find ourselves, what we listen to, what we watch, those are the things we marinate ourselves with. We sit in situations that change our flavor for the good or bad. And the longer we sit in something (or with someone), the more we begin to be like that thing or person.
After marinating, we are put in the grease of life. The grease doesn’t start out hot, it sometimes feels good in the beginning because it’s different. Grease itself is not what’s dangerous – it’s the fire.
The fire is the enemy, trauma, trials and tribulations. The fire is what heats up the grease slowly and traps you. The fire is doing what it’s supposed to do- heating up the situation. It forces us to change in someway. How we respond and how we end up depends on what we were marinated in.
Oh but the big black iron cast skillet! Here comes the Lord. To hold us, to protect us from the fire. He stands between the oil and the fire and He takes the bulk of the heat so we don’t get burned! When we are in the iron cast skillet heat is being distributed evenly so we will be cooked thoroughly but not burned. Like the Hebrew boys, we are assured that we have someone in the fires of life with us- shielding us from the flames that would consume us!!!
When we were young, we could not control what we were marinated in, or the temperature of the refrigerator or how long we were left on the counter where bacteria might have gotten in. But now we are grown. We are able to stay humble, fresh, marinated in the Word of God and the things of God. We wrap ourselves in the saran wrap of self care- laying aside those things that would intensify the fire and picking up habits that would make our meat more tender and juicy.
Thank you, Lord, for your protection. Help us to marinate in the things that will make us fruitful and nourishing to Your Body. Amen.
ViZion United, LLC 