Tough as Ketchup?

Am I the only one who finds the new fast food Heinz ketchup packets annoying? I’m not Hercules, yet wrestling the tops off those packets takes more strength than my hands have, apparently. My other favorite is cosmetic products. Just when I get comfortable with a shade of lipstick or eye shadow, the manufacturer decides to discontinue it for a new, improved shade. Just once, I wish a corporation would leave products alone and quit trying to improve them.

People are different. Or at least they should be.

I don’t consider myself an open book. I’m a listener, not a talker. But I’ve met a few people in my lifetime who have tough exteriors. Turtle shell tough, in fact. Much like the ketchup packet, figuring out the “way in” is a challenge. No matter how much you try to crack their exterior, their packaging seems unbreakable.

In studying the Bible, a unique quality about strength is apparent. Real strength comes from God—not from the walls we create for ourselves. As we open ourselves up to God’s strength, joy becomes the other part of the couplet.

Psalm 28:7 states, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped, My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”

Instead of putting effort into our product packaging, maybe striving for product improvement is where it is, after all. Let God be your strength and shield. The freedom you experience in your spirit will be immeasurable.