Three Angels Broadcasting
Devotional

Hard-Boiled Eggs

By Deborah Shaffer September 6th

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Colossians 3:12–13

Have you ever watched eggs boil? This morning I realized I was out of boiled eggs (a staple for me when watching my calorie intake), so I quickly put another dozen on the stove. Before long, the water became like massive churning waves, changing the eggs from their soft, natural state to an unnatural, hardened condition.​

While this was taking place, I settled in my chair and opened the Scriptures for my daily quiet time and asked the Lord to give me a teachable heart. My eyes soon rested upon Matthew 18 as​ I studied about the servant who owed his master a debt he could not possibly repay. The loving, caring master forgave the unimaginable amount.

The forgiven servant then went to another, who owed him a very small amount. However, instead of returning the favor of forgiveness, he showed no mercy and became violent with the fellow servant, demanding immediate payment. What anger! What audacity! What made him so vile when he, himself, had experienced such mercy? I pondered this as I listened to the eggs boiling from the kitchen. Without a doubt, he had a heart problem. His heart had become so hardened that he found it impossible to extend the forgiveness shown to him.​

How many times am I like this man and the egg? I wondered. Someone owes me something—or I think they do—whether it be a material asset or perhaps an apology. They’ve hurt me and I feel the need for acknowledgment. Like the boiling water churning violently over the egg, I churn the offense over and over in my mind until my heart becomes hardened, like an egg. I dwell on nothing but the offense. It may be years down the road, and I still feel the twinge of anger or even hatred when my mind takes me back to that person or event. I am no better than the wicked servant.​

I have learned that when we call upon Christ for forgiveness and receive His mercy, we cannot allow ourselves to not forgive others. If we have a problem with forgiving someone who has hurt or offended us, we must remember where we were before Christ forgave us. We need to ask Him to help us let go and begin praying through the situation. We must let the spirit of forgiveness that was in Christ be in us.​

Isn’t it time we take those unforgiving thoughts out of the boiling hatred of our minds and place them in the forgiving hands of a caring Father? Oh, the cool relief that awaits us when forgiveness is extended.