Tea Bags and Boiled Eggs

Tea Bags and Boiled Eggs

A devotional looking at how strong and godly women in the Bible are similar to Tea Bags and Boiled Eggs when put under heat/pressure. 

THOUGHT: 

I grew up in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It was fun and exciting, but also a tumultuous time filled with such events as the Baby Boomers, the Vietnam War, Rock and Roll, “hippies”, bell bottoms, Woodstock, anti-war protests, the sexual revolution, drug use, civil and racial strife, birth control, Elvis, the advancement of NASA space program and the landing on the moon, the fuel crisis, the Middle East wars/strife, the concept of “ecology”, and the WOMEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENT. 

Those two decades arguably contained the most sensitive issues and life-changing concepts that the world had experienced so far. For me though, the Women’s Rights Movement was one of the most paramount issues that would affect the rest of my life.

It started with a strong woman….my mom. I distinctly remember when she was a divorcee, with two preteen children, out on her own. She could not get any credit, solely because she was female. She struggled along, working extremely hard, seven days a week, often with more than one job – in order to make ends meet. She was a formidable, articulate woman with lots of skills and gifts to give. Yet, her gender kept many doors slammed shut to her. Now, truth be known, our family life was far from perfect. There were many issues that occurred that did not make it a life of ease. Yet, I will always be proud of my mom’s tenacity and perseverance. Amid challenges, seemingly beyond her control, she rose up and fought.  She was “present” in the situations given to her. She held her head high and demonstrated her female strength through her formidable nature.

Biblically, the women portrayed, show that same kind of strength.

 Let us look at Deborah. She was a judge with a profound sense of wisdom. Behind the scenes, she helped Barak to defeat the enemy in a mighty battle. She never received the full glory of that victory, but she was there.

How about Rahab? She put her own life on the line when she helped Joshua and Caleb to enter the Promised Land.

And Mary? A young, quiet country girl, maybe only 14-15 years old. An angel visits her to tell her she is going to birth the Savior of the world. She does not run away but instead; told the angel she would do whatever God asked of her.

Mary Magdalene? She was the brave one, traveling as a woman with a group full of men. She was the strong one, getting up at dawn to visit Jesus’ grave, only to find him gone, while the men were afraid and hiding in the upper room. She was the first to see the risen Jesus. I do not believe that is a coincidence.

The list goes on and on. Women who had the odds stacked against them. Women who were fighting the male-dominated times they lived within. We think we struggle for equality now. In Biblical times, women were sometimes treated no better than slaves. Yet, they had a kind of strength that changed the world.

Strong, godly women are like tea bags and boiled eggs. When tea is immersed into hot water, it becomes more potent as the heat permeates. It continues to strengthen the longer it is exposed. Like boiled eggs, women become stronger when dropped into the pot of boiling water of life. The roiling bubbles only serve to make them, not weak or inconspicuous, but impenetrable and strong.

The scriptures are replete with examples of the beauty of women’s characteristics, especially their strength.

So, this Mother’s Day, take a moment not only to honor your own mother, but all women. They may be a sister, or aunt, or cousin, or good friend. Hopefully, their power helps to demonstrate the Biblical attributes we read about in Gods’ Word. In fact, go further than a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates or a flowery card. The best thing you can do is to lift these women up in prayer. To thank God for their presence in your life. Even if they have already passed on, who you are today is in part because of what they taught you through their example. My mom has been gone for 20 years now. Yet, when I think of her on Mother’s Day, I remember her character and her innate power to overcome her circumstances. She was a brave woman. She stepped out in courage. She stepped up and over the steps that were blocked off to her. She lived a life that gave me my resilience when things go awry. I rely on her example….as a woman.

PRAYER: 

Lord Jesus, we thank you for the women in our lives. We thank you for the Biblical examples that You gave us in the Bible. We recognize that these women had a role to play in the Holy Scriptures. They show us our potential and our capabilities. Please help us to recognize the women in our lives, as autonomous examples of love and strength. AMEN.

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