Take a life hint from a cook's hack.....
I used to buy a little bottle of dried onion flakes for my kitchen spice cabinet. Per ounce, it was unreasonably pricey. But why keep a half-sliced onion in the refrigerator for weeks at a time when you just need a shake or two (or five)? Then I hit on a solution as close as my blender, which had enjoyed an easy life whipping up milkshakes. Why not make “onion-shakes”? Just chop that tear-inducing onion a bit, drop into the blender, add some water, and push the button. Then, divvy the onion slurry into recipe-size chunks, frozen in cupcake papers.
Okay, cooking lesson over. (Do you plan to try that?)
But what about when life makes us cry—when we feel so wounded, so alone, so overwhelmed that our emotions pour out of our tear glands? I cried—a lot—when my parents died six months apart when I was 31 and still single. And when 45 years later my husband died. And...and...
Loss is hard. But loss shapes us in one of two ways. We become bitter. Or better.
One of my former pastors often addressed the truth that being a Christian didn't mean a free ticket to Happyland. Those who aspire to a godly life, to be significant instruments in God's hand, must learn to trust God in hard times. To be “cut down to size.” To back that up, my pastor often emphasized this memorable quote from A.W. Tozer: “It's doubtful that God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply” (from chapter 39 of Tozer's book, Root of the Righteous).
In other words, hardship under God's oversight teaches the humility and trust essential to be a useful instrument in God's hand. We can remain a big old onion, and eventually rot away. But to be used, we need to let life's “cutting” experiences—the tear-producers—re-purpose us in a good way. God's way. And then to let Him use us as “spiritual seasoning” to the world we live in.