One year I received an InstaPot for Christmas. Before the air fryer fad came to peak, it was the InstaPot. In my daily scrollings through the book of faces I would find articles about injuries due to the pressure cooker. I'm not talking like you touched a hot pan and it hurt, but all out skin grafting due to severe burns boo-boos. So when I received my gift, I was too scared to be honestly grateful. My pulse quickened. I envisioned my home burning down and my kids in the hospital. It was bad. The first three times I used the appliance, I made sure nobody else was in the home. Not, in the room, in the house! Eventually, I learned that if you follow the directions, the appliance isn't all that bad.
When I look at people, I see a bunch of fleshy pressure cookers. Generations before us had a very secretive lifestyle. I don't mean the world was filled with dual lives like Batman, but simply the life that was true, and the life that was shown. The phrase, "Sweep it under the rug," was not even spoken, it was simply done. There's a problem with that. Eventually the rug rips, gets moved, or has so many lumps it's uncomfortable to walk on. Today, I see it as a pressure cooker. People are still stuffing things, but they choose not to sweep it under the rug, they drop it in the pressure cooker. There are many people hiding secrets for themselves and loved ones. They drop it in the cooker and lock it. The only problem is that some youngin' walks by and says, "Hey, this isn't on. We need dinner." They press the button to turn on the cooker. In reality it might be children asking tough questions. It might be a friend asking about how things really are. It might be a family member noticing that something isn't right. No matter the situation, the button gets hit. The pressure begins. Many pressure cooker humans haven't read the directions. Some people try to release the steam continually during the cooking process. This doesn't work. Ranting and raving to the woman at the bank won't help you. Taking out frustration on the server bringing your food won't help. The food in the cooker needs to cook. Time has to be a factor to help make sure the chicken isn't full of salmonella. When the time is right, release the steam. Then you can open the pot fully. If you try to vent the steam before time, the pot won't cook. Other people don't vent the steam at all! They put the food in, turn it on, and let it sit. It cooks and cooks and cooks. The chicken is dry. It's beginning to shrivel up. They refuse to open the lid. Once it's in there, it doesn't come out! The problem with that is, as we know, eventually the the machine will break. It will become useless. The lid must be opened and the food taken out. There's a good chance the food is burnt to the cooking pan. Some people refuse to let the machine work. Into the vault of the InstaPot it goes. It sits. Instead of the food getting cooked, it just sits and rots. Now we have a mold issue on top of everything else. The final group of people might be the worst chefs. They put the food in. They cook the food. Then, when the timer goes off, they do not vent the cooker, they open it up! The steam is so hot, and they did not release the pressure through the valve. It practically explodes. And it explodes on whomever is nearest to them. People are sent away to the hospital because the there was no valve release at the end of cooking. The way the pressure cooker should work is as follows: Place the food in the cooker. Add water as directed. Place and lock the lid. Choose the setting and timer. When done, vent the steam through the valve. Open the lid. Enjoy. We need to own our problems. We must add in all the ingredients and water; for instance, Scripture, words of wisdom, prayer. We need to give it a bit of time to process what the actual problem is and how to solve it. Then we find someone. We talk to them. It could be a counselor or a friend. It could be the person involved in our problem, confrontation is not a bad thing. Then we can truly open up and enjoy. The book of John, written by one of Jesus' favorite friends, says that the truth will set you free. We know that Jesus is the ultimate truth. He frees us from sin. But even out of context, that phrase is completely true. Have you ever seen a kid that knows the truth but doesn't want to share? They're covering for a friend or sibling. What signs do we see? Fidgeting, not meeting eye contact, squirming, not talking more than one word answers. The pressure builds inside of them. Finally, they burst! Tears stream down their face. Sobbing. Guilt ridden pain. Stomach aches relieved. All of it comes to a head until the truth is known. So why do we keep it up? Why do we keep hiding secrets for other people? I get that you don't want others to see someone you love in a poor light, but why is it your job to cover for them? If they put the food in your pressure cooker, it's your job to cook it and serve it. Don't keep letting steam out so it never cooks. Don't burn it up. Don't let it get moldy. Cook that food. Serve it. If you don't do your job, you'll only hurt yourself or the person that comes to check on dinner. Let people be held accountable for their actions. Hold yourself accountable for your actions. It won't be easy. But in the end, the truth will set you free.
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May 2023
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