Don't Be Spoiled, Be Pickled

If we’re honest with ourselves, a lot of us in America are spoiled. Just in general, we can very easily get selfish, and when we don’t get our way, many of us are inclined to throw a fit worse than a two-year-old who dropped his ice cream cone.

We’re spoiled. 

We act like it’s the end of the world if we don’t get our way—as if God is obligated to follow your agendized whims and fancies. 

Indeed, even Christians fall into this trap of selfishness.

We shouldn’t, right? Christians should know that they’re called to pick up their cross and deny themselves. Christians know that salvation comes with repentance—a change in heart and behavior. Yet we still focus inward.

We whine, we cry, we grumble, we enter the self’s melodrama—and we play the part of a fool.

Where’s your perspective? Do you not know how prosperous you are? Do you not know just how convenient modern conveniences are?

You’re spoiled. And so am I, sometimes, when I don’t maintain proper perspective.

But how do we maintain proper perspective? How does one keep from getting spoiled, like so many rotten vegetables?

Indeed, nobody can enjoy the benefits of a salad if they’re spitting out the greens that are green no longer, the plants long-plucked, weeks beyond their shelf-life of ideal freshness and nutrition. 

The truth? Every vegetable goes bad. It doesn’t matter how long you hide in the crisper…in time, you will be spoiled.

But how do we stop this natural progression? How do I keep myself from this self-absorbedness?

It’s actually kind of simple. 

Just think…what kind of vegetables last the longest? The ones in the fridge? The ones left on the counter? The ones never picked from the garden?

No. 

The ones that last the longest are the pickles.

Are You in a Pickle?

In life, pain and tragedy are unavoidable. We will be faced with sickness, misfortune, and eventual death. Life will not always be easy, nor will you always be happy. Part of the challenge of being a human comes down to how you react to imperfection—both in the world and in yourself.

Sometimes, your complaints are valid. 

Oftentimes, we are treated unjustly. Indeed, many might hear me throwing around the word spoiled and roll their eyes. After all, my problem is much bigger than the problems of toddlers. My fit is much more worthy to be thrown.

But when we’re focussed on ourselves, even when our complaints are valid, we can still be just as spoiled, plagued with issues of entitlement, bitterness, and discontent. 

Truth is, every problem you face has the opportunity to spoil you. But it also carries a different opportunity.

The opportunity to pickle you. 

Indeed, the pickling process is God’s whole design for sanctification. 

Preservative of the Saints

In the book of James, we read:

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”
-James 1:2-4

Not only are we supposed to not complain when facing trials, but we’re actually supposed to have joy in those unfortunate situations because they produce endurance within us.

Perhaps it can be compared to going to the gym. When we lift weights, we literally tear our muscle fibers for them to grow back stronger. The act of exercise isn’t always fun, but it’s worthwhile when we see the results of increased strength and endurance.

But this also a bad analogy; after all, the worst trials we face are things we would never want to go through willingly. Maybe a better analogy is an obstacle course—you must go through each challenge in order to advance, even if the challenge feels painful and beyond your ability. 

It’s easy to accept this conceptually, but it becomes much harder to embrace when those trials attack us head on. We feel weak. Perhaps we feel offended and victimized.

Indeed, we may even feel that this “trial”—whatever it may be—is slowing you down from your destiny.

But here’s the truth: As a Christian, your “destiny” is not simply the goal you set for yourself, and while we’re still living on earth, our destiny is not limited to eternity in heaven. The truth? Our destiny is transformation.

When you commit yourself to Christ and submit yourself to His Lordship, your goal in life is the glory of God above all else. This doesn’t just mean you give Him glory in everything you do (though you should). This means that you get to see His glory unveiled.

As Paul puts it, 

“We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

We are to be transformed into His image. We not only get to see His glory, but we get to participate in it, ascended from glory to greater glory, getting closer and closer to His image until we are in eternity with Him, face to face.

This is what our relationship with God is to be like. It’s not just a servant doing a master’s bidding, nor is it merely a powerful friend offering guidance and a safety net. The more we get to know God, the more we are transformed to be like Him.

In other words, we’re not being spoiled. We’re being preserved. 

We’re being pickled.

We are transformed by His presence that envelops us. He is not only the solution to your problem, but his presence is the solution you’re being soaked in as you’re being preserved into a tougher, longer-lasting, unspoiled, better version of yourself.

Application

If you’re facing tough circumstances, look for what God’s doing through those circumstances. We shouldn’t blame God for the bad things, and we shouldn’t automatically assume He cause those bad things to happen to you, but in his goodness, he uses those things for His glory.

After all, Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Also, Philippians 1:6 says, “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” 

He will work things out for His glory by conforming us into His image from glory to glory until we are complete.

No matter what happens in life, no matter how bad things get, we can take comfort in the truth that God is transforming us daily, little by little, to be more like Him.

So, don’t be selfish. Don’t be spoiled. Don’t act like God owes you anything when He gave you everything already. For Christians, nothing is guaranteed in this life except for our transformation.

Rest assured, even when everything’s terrible all around, you will survive. You won’t go rotten. 

You are a pickle: resilient, protected, and sealed in the jar of His grace.

And if you ever feel spoiled—selfish, entitled, bitter—seek God’s presence.

Even if you’re facing the worst disease, misfortune, or injustice, you will be preserved until the end…

His glory may just have to pickle you in the process.