“They gave our Master a crown of thorns, why do we hope for a crown of roses?” ~Martin Luther

Imagine that you are holding a piece of fruit…overly ripe, plucked from the vine. If you were to take that fruit and squeeze it, what is inside will spill out. In a matter of moments, you will know exactly what that fruit is made of, exposed and laid out for all to see.

We all have experiences in our life that push us. When those moments happen, the truth of what we believe, what we stand on, is revealed. As believers, we can tell people that we stand on the promises in His Word and that our faith is in Him…we can say that our hope is in God. But what happens when life takes an unexpected turn? When our plans do not manifest the way we wanted them to. When we feel slighted, unappreciated, or hurt. When we are struggling in our finances, our marriages, or as parents. When we are faced with sickness, death, or loss. These are the moments that test our resolve and that reveal to the world where and how deeply our roots grow. These are the moments that squeeze us and reveal to the world, and ourselves, exactly what is inside. And maybe in these moments we are able to rejoice at confirmation that our hope truly IS in Him. Or maybe these moments reveal to us that He is not the source of our peace and that we have a deep need to press more fully into Him.

1 Peter 3: 15 says “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” The world will see how we respond when life happens. Our actions, our words, and the grace that we weave within each, makes a defense for what we believe.

Stress…suffering…frustration…disappointment…pain…these things have a way of squeezing us. They have a way of applying the vices, of pressing in. And as they do this, what is inside of us will spill out…in a matter of moments we will know exactly what we are made of, exposed and laid out for all to see. If we truly believe what the Word says about Jesus, about grace, about the eternity that awaits us…if we truly believe this, then when those moments come to squeeze us, the world will see Him. Only Him.