I love to bake. It is one of my few creative outlets. For instance, here I am roasting a well known Descartes quote, "I bake, therefore I use eggs". Because most things I bake call for eggs, occasionally a small piece of shell winds up in the bowl. My immediate reaction is to force the piece against the side of the bowl to get it out, but eggs whites are viscous and full on force actually pushes it away from, not toward, the side of the bowl. In order to extract the shell, I need to increase pressure slowly (not my best thing) and slightly to the side. When it comes to eggs, a gentle touch is needed.
I find that an excellent (eggshellant?) illustration of a spiritual reality. When we are urging others toward Christ, either for salvation or a stronger walk with God, our attempts to forcefully push them to Jesus often wind up pushing them further away from both us and the Lord. I have never heard a testimony of someone headbutted into the kingdom of God. The conviction of the Holy Spirit put intense pressure on me, the people of God did not need to. As much as I want to "help" the Spirit, what I want more is for my loved ones to know and serve Christ, so I try to come alongside, speak gently, trust God, and get out of His way. The God who breaks us in the first place knows the best way to remove our bits of shell. When it comes to people, a gentle touch is needed.
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