A Spiritual Lesson From High School Science Class

I found myself in God’s classroom as I prayed for someone earlier this week. He taught me something about a principle so common in our Christian lingo.

Other than the obvious, what’s the difference in a cake and a cupcake?


Yes, it’s smaller, therefore it cooks in much less time.

If I am boiling potatoes so that I can make mashed potatoes, the smaller I cut my potatoes, the more quickly they cook and become tender.

A whole chicken takes much longer to cook than a chicken cut into pieces.

If heated at the same temperature, 1 cup of water will boil much more quickly than 4 cups of water.

Where am I going with all this?

As I was praying for this person, all of a sudden, a statement my high school science teacher, Mr. Alderdice, made many years ago came to mind – and I would say not by accident either. God knew way back then that the words my teacher said would be used to teach me something about a spiritual principle that was eye-opening all these years later.

We were talking about heating things and the teacher asked us why smaller parts of the something got hot more rapidly than if left in a whole state.

His answer to us, “because you have increased the surface area.” There is more of the surface exposed to the heat, therefore the temperature rises faster.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and contrite heart, O God,

Thou will not despise.

Psalms 51:17

As I begged God to intervene in this person’s life, I cried out that the person would be brought to a place of brokenness so that the person would find that God was their only answer. I wanted this person to have the gift of a heart shattered into pieces, so that God could show this family a miracle. That one concept from science class was what God used to show me something brand new about brokenness.

I know that God does great things within us when we are broken, but sometimes we aren’t eager to be broken. I know that God desires brokenness and I have always accepted that just because it’s what His Word teaches us and I know that when we are broken, we are at the end of ourselves giving Him an opportunity to take over.

Broken is a hard place to be, but as God whispered to my heart,

It increases the surface area….

A new appreciation for brokenness immediately sprouted within me. I wonder if He desires brokenness because it gives him more surface area to work with?

I learned something wonderful about brokenness in God’s classroom and this principle will forever be etched in my heart.

Thank you, God, for desiring brokenness from us. It is then that you do your best work within us. It was as I prayed for this person and my heart broke into pieces for the people affected, that You used the increased surface area to make something old brand new within me. I am thankful for times of brokenness I have endured within my life because I truly can look back and see growth that came from them, but it is so much more wonderful to see that You have many more surfaces of my heart to affect when it’s in pieces. You are a good God who uses even brokenness to bring forth beauty.




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