At Home with Susan
Monthly Column by Susan Sikes

If you have ever had experience with canning, you are probably familiar with the term boiling water bath. These baths are used to process certain fruits and vegetables. Once you have the food prepared and in the jars, you place them in a large pot of boiling water. It is very important that the water covers the jars and continues to boil the required amount of time. If the water level becomes too low, you have to pour more boiling water into the pot. If this process is not done properly, there can be all sorts of contamination in the food.

I became aware of boiling water baths a couple years ago when I decided to can a few items. Although I have enjoyed canning, it is quite a chore. Last summer, my dad had a huge crop of tomatoes. We thought it would be fun to make our own picante sauce. We came up with a recipe and set an entire day aside to do this. The boiling water baths were the most time consuming part of the whole process. However, they were also the most important.

This made me think about our lives as Christians and the different trials and struggles we go through. Have you ever felt like your circumstances plunged you right into a boiling water bath? I know we have all felt the “heat” at some point in our lives. Let’s examine how this whole process relates to us. The Bible says,

“This third I will bring into the fire, I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
-Zechariah 13:9

It is so clear that the trials and struggles we go through are a purification process. They remove the contamination in our lives. This is not to say that the hard times are always discipline. God’s ways are just so much bigger than anything we understand. However, He uses all situations to bring about refinement.

I love the example that Joyce Meyer has used before. She explains about the refining process of silver. The silversmith turns up the heat so that all impurities rise to the top. At that point he can remove them easily. He continues to keep the extreme heat going, constantly checking and removing the impurities – never leaving it alone or turning away from it. When asked how he knows when the silver is completely purified, the silversmith answers, “When I look at it and can see my reflection.”

What a powerful metaphor for our own refining process! The heat may rise, but the Lord never leaves us. He is always watching and removing the impurities, waiting to see His reflection. The next time you feel like your circumstances are almost more than you can handle, think of purified silver or canned picante sauce. Either way, let it be an encouragement to you.

Picante Sauce

8 Quarts of peeled tomatoes
4 Large Onions
18 Medium Sized Jalapeno Peppers
2 Cups Vinegar
9 Tablespoons Salt
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Bunch Cilantro
3 Hot Peppers (Thin, Light Green – Cayenne Variety)

In a food processor, puree the tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cilantro. Place all ingredients in a large pot and cook for 30 minutes plus, depending on how thick you want the sauce. Put in sterilized canning jars; affix lids. Process in hot water bath for 30 minutes. Yield: 18 Pints.

© 2007 by Susan Sikes