The Boiling Pot

Jonah with a bullfrog in Natal, Brazil, 2008

You’ve probably heard the apologue of the frog in the boiling pot. If not, it goes like this: if a frog is placed into a pot of boiling water it will immediately jump out, but if instead the water temperature is increased slowly enough the frog won’t perceive the change and will sit still until it boils to death. This is of course not true. Boiling water will kill almost anything instantly, and frogs don’t sit still. That being said, the story survives because of its poignant moral that has never been more applicable than today. 

Since the founding of our country, we’ve undergone a complete metamorphosis—a heating up, if you will. A look at a few elements that affect body, mind, and soul illustrate this point. For instance, local crops and livestock that used to go directly from farm to table are now mostly processed and packaged and stored for months before consumption. That has affected our bodies. Education used to be primarily administered within a conventional family and steered children toward said values, but now school is public and standardized and relies heavily on government funding and ethics, which are anything but traditional. That has affected our minds. Intimate neighborhood Christian churches were pillars of colonial life, but only about a fourth of Americans attend church today, and that includes mega regional churches and even non-Christian affiliations. That has affected our souls. Most of us are largely unaware of these changes since we weren’t alive when they began to happen. 

But what about the cultural changes that have taken place in just the last thirty years? By all accounts, sedentary jobs and obesity rates have dramatically increased in our country. So, our bodies continue to weaken. Mental health disorders, including depression and suicide, have skyrocketed. So, our minds continue to decay. The Satanic Temple has earned the same tax-exempt status as other Christian churches. So, our souls continue to deteriorate. Some of this may explain why it’s feeling a bit warmer in this melting pot we call the United States. 

Today, as we communicate primarily through social media and become more dependent on technology, even our children can attest to the breakneck speed at which change is occurring. This country experiences over 150 fentanyl deaths every day. Our bodies are being completely destroyed. The United States had over fifty-one school shootings last year. That’s one per week! Our minds are being fully shattered. Our churches have become so fragmented and political that we seem to focus on affirming every agenda but that of Jesus Christ. Our souls are utterly perishing. Who can escape this sweltering heat?

The water has reached a slow simmer, and the bad news is that we cannot jump out of the pot. In fact, there is nothing any one of us can do to stop this proverbial water from eventually reaching a full boil because God promises it will. He assures us in 2 Peter “…the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” People everywhere are feeling the imminent doom and are unfortunately responding in ways that are only making things worse. But take heart. There is good news. Matthew 24 declares “the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved.” So we have a promise that this place will burn up but another that we can be saved from it. 

In light of these cosmic guarantees, I urge you to consider spending less time watching the news and wondering if the water is indeed heating up. It is. I also suggest that we stop trying to jump out of the pot. We can’t. However, an excellent use of our time and one that will certainly not be overlooked by our Father in heaven is to share these truths with the other frogs in here. That’s the primary goal of our ministry in Africa and John’s job as dean of students at the university—to share the good news of Jesus Christ. We hope to not only prepare kids of all ages for a fruitful life on this earth, but ultimately to ensure that they will be counted among those Jesus returns to save from this boiling pot. Please join us in prayer and support for the lost people of this world. It’s time to get the word out that Jesus saves.