By Linda J. Humes
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2 (KJV)
By Linda J. Humes
During World War II my Grandparents supported themselves by owning and running a popcorn stand. They lived near a military base and on the weekends the soldiers would come to town to watch movies in an outdoor theatre. My Grandparents strategically set up their stand near the entrance to the theatre and sold the buttery delight to the hungry soldiers.
All my life I can remember a pan of popcorn in the oven. It became a family tradition. If you visited Grandma’s or Mom’s house and had a snack attack, you grabbed a bowl and raided the oven. Popcorn became more than a staple or a snack, it was comfort food.
When I started my family and raised my boys the popcorn pan was always there. When you have a gas stove, as we have, the popcorn stays warm and crispy from the heat of the pilot light – what a delight!
A few months ago I grabbed my bowl and headed for the oven – I could already taste the treat that awaited. I opened the door and to my surprise – a mouse was sitting squarely in the middle of my popcorn pan, stuffing his little self. I closed the door.
Wow. My first thought went to “I wonder how long he’s been doing that” and then quickly convinced myself that this HAD to be the first time – and it certainly was going to be the last. Convincing myself of this was the only way I could get my stomach to settle back down.
“What did you learn,” God asked. Convicted. That mouse wanted that popcorn so bad that he went past a large pilot light flame, up through the heating holes, across a hot oven floor, and into the pan. He went past the dog bowls and cat bowls, with food in them. He went past the bowl of scraps for the chicken coop. He knew what he wanted and he went past the fire and across the heat to get there. He desired the sweet savor that awaited. Oh, my Lord.
How often have I backed away instead of pressing into God because of a “fire” that stood in my path? How many times have I cut my Bible study or prayer time short because of the heat of daily life driving me to complete arduous tasks that have no eternal value? How many times have I been in the middle of a trial and screamed out “God, it’s too hard!”
My, my. A little mouse in a popcorn pan put me to shame. My true desire is to always run to the arms of God when storms rise – but my human side says “take shelter.” Then when I shake off that immediate fear, I turn back. I keep promising myself that the “next time” I’ll head straight in toward Jesus – no matter what. I can taste the sweet savor now. Delightful.
Linda J. Humes 