My husband and I are hot tea connoisseurs. He likes the rich, malty flavors of various black teas and I prefer the mild, grassy, as some describe it, but sweet, healthy flavor of Japanese green tea. It is an acquired taste to be sure.

Whether black, green, white or otherwise, the one thing that ensures the release of the tea’s unique taste profile is for it to be brewed at the right temperature for the right amount of time. They even make tea kettles that have specific hot tea settings for each type of tea. 

If teas with more delicate leaves are steeped too hot, or too long, the leaves can burn, and you will be left with a bitter flavor. Steep more hearty tea leaves in temperatures too cool and the result will be weak tea with very little flavor.

As I was steeping my green tea the other morning, I had this thought…

Sometimes in life, even as Christians, we find ourselves in “hot water.” Sometimes we are responsible for the hot water we find ourselves in and other times, God causes or allows it, in order to bring about His purpose in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

The comforting thing is, God knows us intimately and He has a specific purpose and plan for each of us. He knows if we are of a more delicate or hearty nature and what temperature and duration we each need in order to bring about the flavor from our lives that He wants to produce.

The apostle Paul talked about the sacrifices of the saints being a “sweet smelling aroma” in the book of Philippians. God wants our lives to be a “sweet smelling aroma,” (or sweet tasting tea) as it may be, as a witness for Christ.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, three young, godly, Jewish men, were thrown in the “fiery furnace” for refusing to worship the gods of their earthly king. They told the king that they knew their God, the only true, living God could rescue them from the fiery furnace… “but if not…” they said, “we will not worship your gods.” If you read the account in the book of Daniel chapter three, you will see that after the three young men were thrown in the furnace, the king looked and saw “four men walking around in the fire…” and they were not harmed, the scripture tells us. The king said, “and the fourth is as the Son of God.”

Friend, God knows what is required to make the perfect cup of tea from each of our lives and because of that, sometimes we find ourselves in hot water. But be encouraged, He is with us in the hot water of life, and He knows the exact temperature and duration the water needs to be in order to bring about the “cup of tea” from our lives that He wants to produce – not bitter or weak, but absolutely perfect. And if we allow Him, He will make us the drink-offering to Him and the world around us that He desires us to be.

Lisa Hannan is a resident of Valdosta.