Peters Hollow Egg Fight
Every Easter since 1823 there has been an egg fight in Peters Hollow in Northeast Tennessee. No, it isn't like some places have tomato festivals and throw rotten tomatoes at each other. It started out with local farmers seeing whose hens laid eggs with the hardest shells. Today they get a big crowd of people competing. They are allowed to bring in a certain number of hard boiled eggs. One person cups an egg in his hand with the small end pointing up. A challenger holds his egg with the small end pointing down. The challenger then gently taps the other egg until one of them cracks. When someone is left with at least one egg that isn't cracked, he or she is the winner. In 2004 a guy I went to high school with came in second place. Through the years he has won five times. He won't give his secret out but did say he does use a hen that lives in our county. Nobody knows if he feeds the hen something different or maybe boils the eggs in some concoction.
This thinking about a hard shell reminds me of the following Scripture: "And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their hearts of stone and give them tender hearts instead," (Ezekiel 11:19 NLT) [1]
All of us know people who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Some of them may be very giving people but have a hard shell when it comes to surrendering their lives to Jesus. Don't give up on them. The resurrection power of Jesus Christ can break that shell as written in the book of Ezekiel above. Keep praying for these people. Keep on being their friends. If you are not their friends yet and could be one, do that. Let them see what Jesus Christ can do in someone. Then lead these people to Jesus Christ. This is not done through our power but through the Holy Spirit, the resurrection power.
Many Christians may still have some hard shells also, maybe even you. David Wilkerson calls these "besetting sins". If you have any of these that you just can't seem to conquer, don't give up. Trust on the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. He will keep pecking at that hard shell just like the challenger at the egg fight. Surrender it all to Jesus Christ and let Him break that hard shell in your life. Stop fighting and give it all to Jesus.
By Dean W. Masters
homefurn@preferred.com
Unedited redistribution approved