Reviving Stale Chips (and Us)

Photo by Mustafa Bashari on Unsplash

The other day, my daughter got hungry and decided to make her own dinner at 5:30 p.m., just as I was about to start preparing ours.

Apparently, she couldn't wait.

I told her she could save it for tomorrow. So, she put her "separated nachos" (tortilla chips, pinto beans, and cheese) on a plate and stuck it in the fridge for later. The next day, when she tasted the chips, she immediately noticed they had gone stale.

It got me thinking—chips, like us, are designed for a purpose. When they’re outside of the environment they’re meant for, they lose their effectiveness.

Think about it. When’s the last time you enjoyed a soggy chip? Chips are designed to be dry and crispy—it’s their defining feature. When chips are exposed to moisture, like the humidity in a fridge, they lose their crunch. The texture that makes them satisfying gets compromised, and they become stale. The problem wasn’t the chips themselves; it was the environment they were in.

And isn’t that true for us? When we try to operate in environments we weren’t designed for, we too can go “stale.” The very essence of what makes us effective and impactful can get dulled.

There’s good news, though, for both stale chips and us. For chips, a little heat—like five minutes in a 375-degree oven—brings them back to life. This process evaporates the moisture and restores their crunch. It’s no coincidence that heat, often used in Scripture as a metaphor for refining, also restores us.

When we spend time with God, the One who designed us, His Word refines us. His presence works like that oven, renewing us when we feel stale or out of sync with our purpose. As Malachi 3:2-3 says, He is like a refiner’s fire, purifying and shaping us so we can reflect His glory.

Here’s a practical takeaway: If you’re feeling stale or out of place, spend time with the Designer. Ask Him to refine you, to show you the environments and purposes He has for you. Just like those chips, you can be restored by the One who knows exactly how you were made.

The Designer is also the Refiner. He’s not just the One who created us but also the One who restores us when we need it most.

“The more you become who you were made to be, the more you’ll do what you were born to do.“— Tony Stoltzfus