More Than Meets The Eye
- Scott Ziegler
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
A middle school student in Idaho won first prize in a project he did for his school’s science fair. He wanted to show how conditioned Americans have become to accept junk science without thinking through published studies or their conclusions. In his project, he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "dihydrogen monoxide."
Before asking them to sign the petition, he showed them the dangers associated with it. There are a lot of them, and they’re pretty scary:
It can cause excessive sweating and vomiting
It’s a major component in acid rain
It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state
Inhalation can kill you
It contributes to erosion
It’s found in tumors of terminal cancer patients
It decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes
The student asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical. Forty-three (43) said yes, six (6) were undecided, and only one (1) knew that the chemical was water.
When you think about it, the inherent dangers of water can put a lot of things in perspective. Not only is water a good thing, it is necessary for life!
But just like all good things, there are risks, downsides, and negative associations with just about anything in life. It’s what you do with water that matters.
How we use what we have been given and how we respond to circumstances we face is far more important than what those circumstances appear to be at face value. A destructive experience for one person is the catalyst for success in another.
Water is a very good thing….a necessary thing. So is adversity, success, friendship, material resources, and many other things we have in life.
How you do in life is not based on what you’ve been given; it's what you do with what you’ve been given that matters!
Joseph had every reason to see his circumstances as ruinous to his life. Sold into slavery. Imprisoned for doing the right things. Overlooked and ignored while being faithful.
But instead, he looked back at the things that could have destroyed him as steps that brought salvation to his whole family, as well as the region surrounding Egypt.
What circumstance or challenge have you been misinterpreting, only seeing potential dangers, but not embracing its benefits and blessings?