Suffering's Heat

Have you ever considered that suffering and strength are two sides of the same coin? Suffering requires strength to endure the painful flames burning your soul. But it also created strength as we continue to endure the trial. There's a metaphor in the Bible of a man working at purifying metal, and, of course, God is the refiner and I am the metal. What I didn't quite understand about purifying metal is that all the impurities don't just disappear because heat is being applied. Nooooo!! There is a process involved. The refiner begins at a low setting where certain impurities melt lose from the metal and float to the top. They are then skimmed off and the refiner INCREASES THE HEAT! This is repeated until the highest heat that the metal can withstand without being destroyed is applied. Also, at each level the various impurities are skimmed off. At the end of the process, the refiner can clearly see his reflection in the metal. That indicates to the metal worker that the refinement is complete and no more heat needs applied. As we endure whatever circumstance is burning us up, bear always in mind that it is NOT purposeless. It has an ETERNAL value, and is therefore priceless!!

You know, we can live "outside" our life grieving for a life we "never had". Or we can choose to trust that God gave us a SPECIFIC life to lead with eternal meaning. The choice of perspective is entirely mine...the length and intensity of the process is entirely God's.

Keep on enduring AND trusting.