A grandmother and her granddaughter sat together for tea one afternoon. As they talked, the young girl shared her struggles – difficult friendships, pressures at school, and fears about the future.

Her grandmother listened patiently, then smiled and picked up a tea bag. Holding it over the cup, she said, “Do you know what happens when you put a tea bag in hot water?”

The girl shrugged. “It makes tea.”

The grandmother nodded. “Yes, but there’s more to it. The hot water doesn’t ruin the tea bag – it draws out what’s inside. The heat brings out the flavour, the strength, and the true character of the tea.”

She placed the tea bag in the steaming water, and soon, the clear liquid turned a rich, deep colour.

Then she said, “Life’s trials are like hot water. When challenges come, they don’t destroy us. Instead, they reveal what’s inside us and make us stronger.”

Many times, we fear difficult seasons, thinking they will break us. But God often uses challenges to refine us, just as heat brings out the full strength of tea.

James 1:2-3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

God doesn’t promise an easy life, but He does promise to be with us in the fire. Just as the tea bag needs hot water to fulfill its purpose, we sometimes need trials to grow in faith, endurance, and wisdom.

Think of the stories of faith in the Bible. Joseph was thrown into a pit and sold into slavery before becoming a ruler in Egypt (Genesis 50:20). Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den but came out unharmed (Daniel 6:22). The Apostle Paul faced beatings, shipwrecks, and imprisonment, yet he proclaimed: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

None of these people were destroyed by their hardships. Instead, their faith was strengthened, and God’s power was revealed through them.

Are you facing a season of ‘hot water’ in your life? Instead of fearing it, trust that God is using it to bring out your strength, deepen your faith, and reveal His power in you.

Because just like the tea bag, the real flavour of faith comes out in the trials. And in God’s hands, you will become stronger, richer, and full of purpose.