Life's Pressure Cooker and How to Regulate It

 

A sweet childhood memory I have is being in my maternal grandmothers old house. It was really an old shack on the outside, but inside it was full of love that spoke to all the senses. Snuggles with Grandma and her homemade quilts, smells of a meal always cooking, sights of old treasures she would happily tell stories about, love totally surrounded you when you were there.

A sound I always associate with Grandma's house is the sound of an old fashioned pressure cooker. As a child, we lived in the big city, but would make the hours long trip to the country to visit Grandma. In the south, boiled peanuts were a staple for my grandparents and a true treat for my parents and I.  During our summer visits, Grandma would boil peanuts in her old pressure cooker. She would fill the pot full of peanuts, water and salt and let them cook for hours. After a while the pressure cooker would begin to make noises! A gentle rocking of the pressure regulator would begin.  I now understand that this small, round piece works by letting steam out to keep the pressure below the desired level. But as a child I loved hearing the progression of a small ticking noise that rose to a steady hissing and the delectable smell of the peanuts cooking. Finally, two bowls were produced, one full of hot, boiled peanuts and an empty bowl to put the peanut shells in. Hours were spent sitting on the front porch, sharing bowls and eating boiled peanuts together.

Now, close to 40 years later, the term 'pressure cooker' does not conjure up such pleasant memories. It brings to mind an intense emotion. It has similarities to Grandma's old pressure cooker - a small simmer that begins and builds and builds. But instead of producing a delicious treat, our internal pressure cookers can often lead to a dangerous internal explosion. 

Pressures are a part of life. There is always something in our lives that can get the pressure cooker process going. We need to have a 'pressure regulator' active in our lives. This will keep the steam from building up to dangerous levels. To derail disaster when the pressures of life get high, I have learned to lean on the promises of God's Word. The opposite of pressure, is peace. When pressures rise, I seek to find an antidote of peace. Some of my favorite verses to go to in times of pressure are:

Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You."

Phillipians 4:6-7  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

In the pressure cooker of life, may God's Word find a place in our heart to take our rising pressure and fill it with His peace. The end product is even better than a bowl of hot, boiled peanuts! It is the ability to live well in the midst of pressure filled world.