Your Trial Holds Treasure by Rissa Singson Kawpeng

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a kitchen goddess who reigned in Kitchen Kingdom. Kitchen Kingdom was abundant with food. They had the sweetest fruits in the land as well as the greenest and leafiest vegetables. They had the best cakes and sweets in the planet, and the yummiest viands were also found there. But Kitchen Goddess had a problem. There were so many flies, cockroaches, and ants in her kingdom.

One day, when she was swatting the flies and running after cockroaches with her royal slipper, she sighed in exasperation. Just then, her fairy godmother appeared and offered to grant her one wish.

Kitchen Goddess said, “I wish that all the flies, cockroaches, and ants would be banished from my kingdom.”

The fairy godmother said, “Your wish is granted!” Ching! In a blink of an eye, all the bugs and pests disappeared. But so did all the sweet fruits, leafy vegetables, yummy cakes, and viands! The kitchen goddess didn’t realize that the pests were there because of the cornucopia of food they had in the kingdom.

Difficulties can be destiny in disguise.

Take the story of Uber. One frigid December night in 2008, two Americans who were in Paris to attend a tech conference couldn’t find a taxi home. They thought, what if you could use an app to book a limo service? When they returned to the U.S., one of them started working on the app. In 2010, they piloted the program in New York with only three cars. Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp, Uber’s founders, have since become multibillionaires because of that winter night in Paris.

Our world has changed considerably because of this pandemic. Our economy is in a nosedive, millions are jobless, and the government is helpless in the fight against COVID-19. There are so many things we can complain about. But what if all these trials hold treasure for us to uncover? What if losing your job is the best thing that happened to you because it was the only thing keeping you from discovering your genius in business? What if all this unrest is meant to give birth to the greatest chapter of your life?

You alone can answer those questions.

As for the kitchen goddess, she woke up, relieved that it was all a dream. She ruminated on how those annoying pests could become her profitable allies. Before long, Kitchen Kingdom became known not only for its abundance of food but for its cuttingedge techniques in pest control.

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through. . . . Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ. (1 Peter 4:12-14)

*This excerpt is taken from Feast Magazine September 2020 issue.
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Featured image is from Pexesl.com.