Purified in the Fire

Hey guys! It's been a while since my last post, but things have been crazy! They're finally settling down for the summer, and I am ready to rest! And yet even during this time of physical rest, my faith is being strengthened and is not at rest.


In 1 Peter  it is written " I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory." (1:6-7, MSG)


I feel like this verse has been the theme of my life lately, especially this week. I just finished rereading my favorite book for the 3rd time, Safely Home.  If you haven't read it, I totally recommend it. It's a fictional book based on 2 college roommates, and how faith brought them together in a way that neither one ever dreamed of. One of them is a struggling, persecuted Christian in China  who always mentions this verse. He never minds the trials (including torture and jail) that he has to endure because of his faith, and in fact finds joy in it as the Bible teaches we should.  Maybe that's one of the reasons I love this book so much, is because every time I read it I'm challenged to find joy in the struggles of life,  especially when it's so easy to be brought down by them. 


Ironically, or perhaps not, this verse also showed up in my Bible study this week. And I find myself convicted of not being joyful and times of hardship and suffering.  I am literally in pain every day, and yet it never gets easier. But even more than that, a great friend has hurt me deeply and I find myself mourning of friendship that I never thought would end. And even though I can find a lot of reasons to be sad (definitely not to say I'm not at times, even as I write this),  but God is working in my life. There is a greater purpose for my disease. There is a greater purpose for friendships ending. There is some door that is about the open for me, and I can't wait to find out what it is.


It's really hard to be joyful in times of suffering,  and I more than anyone needs to work on this... but all that matters is I'm trying. My faith is being put through the fire,  and through these experiences I'm being purified. 


If you're where I am, know you are not alone, and that there is a God  with a plan. And when it's all said and done, your faithful prevail and hopefully be proved genuine. The Bible promises suffering...it's to be expected. The whole book of 1 Peter is written to encourage those in trials, and I encourage you to read it. There may be trials right now...but one day the trials and sufferings of this human life will be traded for an eternal life of praise and joy...with the Creator. How great a day will that be?! Don't lose faith now. Be strong and gain encouragement that you serve a God who has totally been there, and will help you get through it. 


Father God,
       Thank you for Your love and creative work in my life.  It is so easy to get caught up in my own feelings when life gets hard, or when I suffer from someone else's unkindness. But God, I know You are in the midst of these trials, drawing me closer to you. Thank you for the sunshine and the rain. Thank you for the mountain tops when I feel so close to you, and the valleys when it is a struggle to look up. I know You want me to become more like You, and ask that you draw me close to Your heart throughout all the events of my life. Amen.