When the Teapot Whistles

Those who were at Bible study last night heard some of this story. I cried. I laughed. They laughed. But God used it. My prayer is always, "God, please use me to help somebody." But it would be nice if I wasn't the lesson every time. 😂 So let me ask you something… have you ever left a teapot on the stove too long? It starts off fine. Quiet. Controlled. No big deal. Then slowly… you hear it. That little build. Suddenly, it's screaming! WHEEEEEEE

Yeah… that was me yesterday. More than once. And of course… it came out at Todd. Poor #hottoddy. Because isn't that how it works? The safest person in the room gets the overflow.

Now here's where I could justify myself, and trust me, I tried. Everything I said was true. And it was how I was feeling. But just because something is true… doesn't mean it was right the way I released it.

Everything was going fine except I was overwhelmed. Businesses (plural 🙃) Ministry (also plural… because why not). Home. Family. Life. You get it. Where's my momma with all the kids, laundry piled high, dishes in the sink… same diff. We all have those days. 

After blowing off steam, I went to my room to prepare for the Bible study. Not in the mindset I'd hoped for, but I was running out of time. God used the Bible study I wrote, I Am Ezer, to correct me. Isn't that just like God? To use my own words against me. How rude! 😂 Just kidding! But He did, in fact, show me, through the lesson, that I had not been surrendered, which is what I was teaching about. The quiet strength. I had zero quiet yesterday afternoon. 

I have a secret. Wanna know what it is? Promise not to tell anyone! I wasn't just frustrated with Todd. I was frustrated with God. Because from my perspective? God gives Todd these big visions, ministries, business, all of it… and then I'm over here like,"Cool cool cool… so I get the workload?" And then everyone thinks I'm the one controlling all of it, when really I'm just doing good to keep up. How could I possibly be the one in control? Not always—but a lot. And I have my own work to do!

I felt like I was carrying too much. Too many things on my plate. Too much responsibility. Too much pressure. And I kept telling myself, "I'm just overwhelmed." And then would list all the things that Todd should be doing, was or wasn't doing and it just fostered the steam. Let's face it, our thoughts and words will either calm us down or rile us up. Apparently, I was in the mood for getting riled up.

But then the Holy Spirit hit me with a question I didn't want to answer… Was I actually carrying more than I could bear… or was I carrying what I never fully surrendered? Because those are not the same thing. We love to say, "I'm just under a lot right now." But sometimes… we're under it because we won't lay it down. Or if you are like me, you lay it down… pick it back up… lay it down… pick it back up… Like a spiritual yo-yo. 😅 And instead of surrendering it… We hold it. We manage it. We try to control it. And then, like a teapot, we build pressure until it has to come out somewhere. And if we're not careful… it comes out on the people we love the most.

Now let's talk about what Scripture actually calls us to. 1 Peter 3:4 talks about having "a gentle and quiet spirit." And let me just say, because this can get twisted, that is not weakness. That is not silence. That is not "just sit there and don't say anything." That is strength under control. That is a woman who feels deeply… but is fully submitted to the Spirit of God. And yesterday? I wasn't that. I was the teapot. Full. Heated. Pressurized. And eventually… I released it in a way that didn't build anything. It just blew.

So what do you do when you don't get it right? Because you won't always get it right as an Ezer. Let's just settle that right now. You won't. You don't pretend it didn't happen. You apologize, and hopefully can have a good laugh about it later. You don't justify it. And you don't sit in guilt. You let it reveal something. Because pressure doesn't create what's in you… it exposes it. And what it exposed in me today? I wasn't fully surrendered in those areas. I was carrying things God never asked me to carry alone.

So I had to go back. Lay it down. Apologize. Reset. And choose again. Because being an Ezer isn't about perfection. It's about alignment. Over and over again. I keep thinking, "aren't I supposed to be over this yet?" Then God reminds me to look in the Bible at the people He chose… while they were growing and getting strong in the Lord, they also did stupid stuff. So I'm in good company. 

So if you had a "teapot moment" today… Welcome to the club. But don't stay there. Let it teach you. Let it refine you. And then go back to the place of surrender, because that's where your real strength actually comes from.

Where are you holding pressure that God is asking you to surrender?

If this spoke to you, share it with someone who needs it today.

— Michelle Wyatt

Ezer Rising | Repairer. Restorer. Rebuilder. (Isaiah 58:12)