From Sap to Syrup

We tapped our maple trees for the second time this year and spent part of the weekend cooking down sap. It’s so much fun for us and there’s nothing like the taste of fresh maple syrup — we love it and are so excited to restock ours. The thing about maple syrup, like many other things, is that you don’t just get syrup straight from the tree. When you tap a maple tree, a clear, water-like sap comes out, not the deep amber colored syrup you end up with after the cooking process is complete. To go from sap to syrup, you first have to boil the sap in order to evaporate the water. Once the water is evaporated, you strain out the impurities and are left with the delicious, sweet, syrup that many people enjoy. I’m always amazed that the only thing actually required to go from sap to syrup is cooking it down. You don’t have to add any ingredients to it, but you do need to take out the abundance of water that is present in the sap to begin with and filter out the impurities so that you have smooth, filtered syrup. This reminds me of life.

We are all created with a purpose and when we allow ourselves to become who God designed us to be, it’s like tapping the sap from a maple tree. We know that the sap can turn into syrup, but not until it’s put over the fire. Using this analogy, we’re each like a maple tree — we all have the potential to let our sap be turned into syrup by the hand of God, but we’ll have to let Him remove the “water” from our lives and “filter” out the things that don’t need to be there. He knows exactly when we’ve reached the “syrup” stage and He never grows weary of the process.

God is so good and He chooses to let us be a part of His plan. He doesn’t need us any more than we need maple syrup — He wants us, just like we want maple syrup. Just in case you need to hear that again — God wants YOU! Even with all the “water” and “impurities” that need to be evaporated and filtered out — He still wants YOU! He doesn’t need you to be syrup right away, He wants your heart. He wants your willingness to let Him transform your heart — your life — from sap to syrup. He wants to be the One that filters out what doesn’t need to be there. To be the One who tells you how He’s going to use you — to keep with this syrup analogy, maple syrup can be used for many different things. God is the One who can look at us and see what we can become before we even know what it is because He is the One who created us. He is the One that can burn off the excess “water” in our lives and use us in incredible ways!

I feel like so often I’ve spent time trying to rush the “syrup making” process in my own life. Instead of learning what I need to from each step, there have been times when I just think jumping to the next phase will be better. However, just like rushing syrup making doesn’t give you the end product that you’re looking for, neither does trying to rush through life. If you don’t cook the sap down enough because you’re impatient, your syrup will be watery. If you don’t take the time to filter out the impurities, your syrup will have a sediment that forms on the bottom — called “nider” or “sugar sand” — and it makes it much harder to use the end of your syrup because no one wants that sediment all over their pancakes. Syrup making is a process. Growing into who God created us to be is a process. They both require time and patience, but they’re both worth it.

As I spent time trying to figure out who I’m “supposed” to be and what I’m “supposed” to do, God gently reminded me that I’m here to glorify Him (1 Cor. 10:31). To love Him is to obey Him and to live life in a way that honors Him and builds His kingdom (Jn. 14:15). To be humble and to bring Him all of myself and allow Him to transform me from sap into syrup — from who I was to who He has called me to be. Instead of focusing on what I can do “someday” I’ve decided to focus on what I can do now. God has been working in our lives which is leading to some exciting changes and I can’t wait to see what we learn from it and how it shapes us!

If I’ve learned anything through our miscarriage and the unexpected loss of my dad, it’s that life is too short to wait for “someday” because “someday” may never come. Asking God to reveal how He wants me to use my gifts has allowed me to see things differently — in the best way. God has blessed us with the ability to pursue a dream that He’s placed on our hearts and has used others to reassure and encourage us in our decision making. I can’t wait to share more of what we’ve been working on and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to next week, but if not — it should for sure be ready to share in two weeks!

So, wherever you are in the process of letting God turn your life from sap into syrup, I’m praying for you. I’m praying that we would have hearts that are willing to let Him work in us. That we would be people who find joy in the process even when the heat feels too hot because we know that in the end, it will be for the glory of God and the good of the people around us. Filtering syrup can be painstakingly slow, but is ultimately worth it. Likewise, allowing God to filter things out of our lives can sometimes feel painstakingly slow — like when you’re trying to break a negative habit or get on to the next phase — but it is ultimately worth it. The process might be lengthy, but there is purpose behind each step and we can learn so much through each of them.

Song(s) of the week: This week I chose “Counting My Blessings” by Seph Schlueter Enjoy!