This post has got very little to do with frying pans or cooking because it’s all about how much effort we want to go through effecting change in our lives.

It came about because I needed to clean my frying pan, after cooking with it to prepare some meat ready for dinner.

Now, we often use this frying pan to cook up meat before adding it to a pot with whatever sauce we’ve got on the stove for dinner, which leaves it with bits of meat stuck to the pan and in need of a clean before we can use it once more.

I don’t know of many ways to clean a frying pan. But I do know of three – and they’re all very different from one another. The end result is still a clean frying pan, but the effort involved changes dramatically with each different approach.

Firstly, you could use a dishwasher. This may well be pretty effective but, unfortunately – even with expensive equipment – it is be generally bad idea, if you like your frying pan, and want it to stay non-stick.

The second approach is to scrub it clean straight away. This usually involves a lot of work on your part, and is more than likely to end up scratching the non-stick coating, which isn’t a great option if you like your frying pan.

Thirdly, you can soak it in water for a while before you get to the cleaning. Then, after a few hours, you can simply wipe it clean with a soft sponge, using very little effort whatsoever.

Me? I prefer the third option! How about you?!?

What’s that got to do with me?

When we first choose to become a Christian there can be some pretty big changes as we encounter the liberator – Jesus Christ. It can feel like something of a whirlwind of change, but in the very best possible way as we encounter a peace which goes beyond all human understanding and reason.

But it’s easy to want God to change us without no effort on our part – that’s the dishwasher metaphor. It just isn’t the best method and isn’t the one you’re going to experience frequently. God desires to work with us, in us and through us, not without us. That’s why He sent Jesus to bridge the gap between us!

If we’re in a rush we can start working with all our effort, exhausting ourselves in the process – that’s the cold water, and quick cleaning metaphor.

The third option is soaking in the Holy Spirit…that one should be self-explanatory.

When we try and do all the work ourselves it can leave us feeling worn out, scratchy, damaged and tired. It takes a lot of effort to force change on ourselves.

However, when we allow ourselves to rest in the Holy Spirit, it’s like soaking that frying pan in water because it becomes so much easier as we become more malleable.

Andy B