Am I an egg or a potato?

Have you ever heard or read these sayings? 

The same sun that melts butter hardens clay.

The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s about what you’re made of, not the circumstances. –Anonymous

You see them in memes on Facebook from time to time.  You can search Google and get many different interpretations of what these mean for you or me.

Here is one that I thought of the other day.  I did not find it on Google, so I will claim its originality. :) 

The same breath that puts out the candle fuels the campfire.

When you do read what people write about these sayings, it is primarily about what I am.  I am to change my attitude towards the situation I am to create a different result.  I do not disagree with these interpretations.  I do believe that your attitude is the only thing you can control in any particular situation.

However, I would like to give you a little different take on these.

Without the sun melting the butter it would be difficult to spread it on my toast without ripping the toast to pieces.  We never say we like cold hard butter on our bread or cinnamon roll.  Without the sun hardening the clay, I could not have that mug to drink my coffee or a plate to hold my toast or cinnamon roll.

Without the boiling water making the egg hard and the potato soft, I could not enjoy potato salad, or mashed potatoes or deviled eggs.

Without the breath to put out the candle, I could not celebrate my birthday or other special events.  Without the breath blown on the fire to start a campfire, I could not enjoy a s’mores.

The point is who am I?  What was I created to become?  I have no control of what I am made of.  Was I created an egg or a potato?  If I was created an egg, then boiling water is going to make me into a different kind of egg.  I did not change into something else. 

What is my purpose?  The circumstances that we encounter are designed to mold us into that purpose.  Was I destined to me a hard-boiled egg?  My attitude will not change that.

We are always encouraged to find your purpose.  I believe that each person has a purpose for living.  The challenge is do we like what our purpose is?

As a follower of Christ, I seek to be molded into His image. What does this image look like?  It looks like whatever He has planned (purposed) for my life.  He wanted me to be a hard-boiled egg.  He brought circumstances into my life to bring me to that point.  My attitude should be one of gratefulness that He has made me into what He wanted me to be.  Not, I wish I was a potato.