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As a little boy, I remember watching my mother as she fed small chunks of beef into a portable meat grinder that she suctioned to the countertop. I can still see her turning the crank handle and out the other end would come ground beef, which she would then use for casseroles or lasagna or spaghetti sauce, all of my favourites.
As I visualize that memory, I cannot help drawing an analogy to life, both mine and most assuredly yours; assuming of course that you claim human status on planet earth. So, here’s the gist of things. Our daily lives can go from calm to chaotic in a heartbeat. One moment we feel like we have the game well in hand, when suddenly an unexpected curve ball can throw everything into a tizzy. Our peace vanishes and our hearts sink into a quagmire of wet cement. We may find ourselves without hope, and to be frank, we might even feel as though we’re being fed through a meat grinder each day with no means of escape.
Can you relate? Be honest.
Coincidentally, or I believe through divine intervention—a recent daily devotional on my phone and specifically a corresponding bible verse, slammed my heart right when I needed it. And yes, I will admit that more days than I prefer are fraught with meat-grinder experiences.
Here is the bible verse from 1 Peter 5:10: “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” (NLT)
Reading the verse over several times, the trouble spots in my life felt a touch less problematic and my overstuffed backpack of concerns became less weighty. They didn’t go away, just yet, but my understanding of how to endure them by Gods grace did. You see my friend, our hope lies squarely on Jesus Christ. He is the one who can restore us when we need healing, support us when we do not have the strength to stand upright anymore—and then Jesus equips us with good shoes and sets a firm foundation under our feet.
I know that life is hard and that there are days when each of us feels like we are being ground up into little pieces, that the suffering never seems to let up. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a magic wand where a simple flick of the wrist rights all the wrongs? Believe me, if I had one, I’d be more than happy to lend it to you!
What I can offer you is Jesus. And if you allow him to come into your world, your heart and your life, stem-to-stern, top-to-bottom, the suffering in you’re life will ultimately lead to restoration through our Heavenly Father. You will still have days when you may feel like a slab of tenderloin going through a meat grinder, but when you come out the other end, you’ve got Jesus by your side.
Despite life’s trying times, God Himself calls us to share in His eternal glory through His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and Saviour. And that promise is the coolest thing of all and takes some of the sting out of the meat grinder.
Paul Smyth
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