Crème brûlée is one of my favorite desserts. I love breaking through the caramelized sugar into the creamy goodness. It’s heavenly!
Those who speak French know that crème brûlée directly translates as "burnt cream."
Doesn’t sound real appetizing, right? Not exactly like the celestial picture I was trying to paint.
But you can’t make a good crème brûlée without a flame – a really hot, ultra-concentrated one. When I lived in France I actually bought this specialized torch, called a chalumeau.
The wonder of the chalumeau is that it can caramelize the sugar quickly, as to not reheat the set cream.
Have you ever been burned – literally or figuratively? I know that I have.
But somehow, the core of me has not been destroyed. It felt too close for comfort. It was close enough that I thought my identity was in danger. But yet, I survived.
Maybe this painful refining under high heat can actually yield something sweet, something desirable, something that is pleasant to taste, something that complements and protects rather than destroying the heart.
But somehow, the core of me has not been destroyed. It felt too close for comfort. It was close enough that I thought my identity was in danger. But yet, I survived.
Maybe this painful refining under high heat can actually yield something sweet, something desirable, something that is pleasant to taste, something that complements and protects rather than destroying the heart.
Without this refinement by fire, a crème brûlée can’t be crème brûlée, only cooked cream. And you don’t see that on high-class French menus.
No, it is this delicate process under flame that makes the dessert gourmet.
So it is with faith, God, in his power, shields the core of us (the cream of this metaphor), our salvation and identity in Him, while still allowing the refining of our faith through painful trials.
The result? A genuineness of faith of great worth that brings praise, glory and honor to Jesus Christ.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:3-7)
Our suffering changes who we are. It threatens us. But in the end, it makes us more complete, more valuable and more secure than ever before.
It is difficult to rejoice while we are suffering (it hurts too much), but after the flame has refined and solidified us, let us not forget that we are rich, that we can bring something sweet to taste, rather than burnt, to those who encounter us.
So it is with faith, God, in his power, shields the core of us (the cream of this metaphor), our salvation and identity in Him, while still allowing the refining of our faith through painful trials.
The result? A genuineness of faith of great worth that brings praise, glory and honor to Jesus Christ.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:3-7)
Our suffering changes who we are. It threatens us. But in the end, it makes us more complete, more valuable and more secure than ever before.
It is difficult to rejoice while we are suffering (it hurts too much), but after the flame has refined and solidified us, let us not forget that we are rich, that we can bring something sweet to taste, rather than burnt, to those who encounter us.