From Bitter to Better

For some reason, this year I’ve noticed the acorns are dropping more than ever from the big oak tree behind the parsonage. Maybe it’s because every time one hits the roof, our dogs sound the alarm as if a squirrel invasion has begun. It’s a wonder we get any sleep!

One night as I lay awake, waiting for the next “acorn attack” and subsequent round of barking, my mind wandered. I started wondering: why don’t we eat acorns the way we eat other nuts like pecans or almonds? I did a little research (you’d be surprised how deep you can go on this question at midnight), and I discovered the reason—acorns are full of tannins.

Tannins, I learned, are bitter compounds that can be harmful if eaten in large amounts. To make acorns edible, people in some cultures soak them in water to wash the tannins away. Once the bitterness is removed, the acorns can be ground into flour and used for bread. In other words: with a little preparation, something that seems useless or even harmful can be turned into something nourishing.

That’s kind of the way God works in us. On the surface, we may feel weighed down by bitterness, sin, or struggles that make us seem “unusable.” But God has a way of cleansing and transforming us. Just as water leaches the bitterness out of acorns, the living water of Christ washes us clean and makes us new. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

So the next time you hear an acorn hit the roof—or see one on the ground—remember that what looks like it doesn’t have much potential can, in the right hands, be transformed into something good. And the same is true for us in the hands of God.

May God hold you,
Rev Chris Hester