Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
Ever feel like your walking on eggshells? We use this expression to symbolize having to be careful in what we say around certain individuals, but does it ever seem that you have to be extremely cautious in all you do in all facets of life? Does life ever seem to be so overwhelming that at any moment things could just crack and break completely like an eggshell?
I believe we have all felt this way at one moment or another. Trials we face can cause us to be unsure of our "footing." We begin to question things that are happening to us, trying to find the reason as to why we would be going through such a test. We sometimes live in fear of the next blow the devil will have for us, afraid that it will be the one that completely does us in. "When it rains...it pours" - as the old saying goes. But what if, just maybe, these things we go through - these things we tread upon, might not be about to break? What if the things we face are actually not making us weaker, but part of a grand scheme that is making us stronger?
I know what you're thinking. How can cancer, divorce, infidelity, loss of a loved one, financial difficulties, and things of the like make me stronger? Does God really desire for us to face such awful circumstances? Does God care if we feel weak and about to break?
It is absolutely true that God loves us beyond our wildest imagination. It is true that he is a healer, deliverer, and savior. It is true that he is able to work miracles in our darkest situations. It is also true that our lives will not always be smooth sailing. It is also true that sometimes, God does NOT cause, but allows us to go through situations. It is also true that as he waited four days to raise Lazarus from the dead, sometimes he waits to deliver us until the moment he deems perfect.
If I told you to take your carton of eggs from your refrigerator, open them up, and step on top of them, you would think I was crazy, wasteful, and silly. However, it is a scientific fact, that it is possible to stand on top of eggshells that are placed in the correct position. The egg's shape is actually one of the strongest structures on earth. The arch shape of an egg allows it to be able to withstand weight hundreds of times more than its own. Now, an egg laying on its sides, will be crushed immediately at the slightest amount of pressure. An egg standing up, however, is strong enough to walk on. It's all about the design and position the egg is in.
Just like an egg, God has allowed things into our lives, not to crush us under pressure, but make us stronger. When put through a test, we are always stronger when we come out. God has designed a plan and a way for trials to make us overcomers. How? When he sent his son, Jesus, to earth to die for us, he conquered every sickness, pain, and hardship we could ever and will ever face. All we are called to do is keep walking, trusting, obeying, and holding to our Father. Just as the egg was designed by its Creator to withstand large amounts of pressure, those things in our lives are designed by satan to make us weak, but God takes them and makes us stronger through them.
Another element of the eggshell experiment is the design of the egg carton. The egg carton was invented by Joseph Coyle in 1911. His design positioned the eggs in a way to where they were their strongest. As long as the eggs remain in that position in the carton, they will be safe. If one would by chance fall down on its side, its weakness would then be exposed. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:13 "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Similarly to an egg in the upright, standing position, we are strongest when we stand. This strength does not come from our own power, but from the Father. His hands are like our egg carton, holding us steadfast. We won't succumb to the pressure of the trial if we continue to stand firmly in his hand.
You were designed for greatness and victory. Jesus has already won the battle. He's already conquered the trial. These things, these eggshells, we seem to walk on are not meant to give us unsure footing, but to allow us to display our times of greatest strength through Christ. Never ever for our own glory -- but always for his! Sometimes, it's okay to walk on eggshells.
