I think we want to be as gold. There’s just something about gold that draws us in, in a way silver or bronze doesn’t.
The problem with us is that we want to be as gold without the process. We want the purpose without the pain. We want a tidy ending without the rocky and sharp middle part. And life will rarely give us that.
The first time life hits you in the face with sharp reality, you feel betrayed and flustered.
You feel so confused and alone. You feel like, this isn’t what I signed up for. Especially when you give your life over to God and things start going wrong, you likely look up and say, “okay… what is this? Why is this happening? This isn’t what I signed up for.”
Somewhere, somehow, we’ve gotten confused and thought following God was going to be easy.
I’ll be honest: following God is the hardest journey I’ve ever been on.
It’s been the most transformative, and I would never trade the valleys or the woods, but it hasn’t been easy and there have definitely been times where I felt it would be easier to just walk off on my own.
But there’s a verse in the Bible.
But he knows where I am going.
Job 23:10
And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
It makes a promise that we will become as gold through the testing. Through the hard stuff. That if we would just hold on long enough, we will be refined and better for it.
The refining process isn’t a quick fix. It’s not a procedure as quick as a vaccine shot or a finger prick. It’s a process that involves a lot of heat. A lot of excesses are stripped away. A lot of pressure and unfavorable circumstances.
The outcome?
Pure gold.
The question isn’t: Gosh, will there be hard stuff to come? The question is: how can I embrace the pain that makes me grow? How can I say “yes” to the tests that make me a better person where my faith and heart becomes gold.
The valley isn’t something to ignore.
It will not be pretty. However, we’ve got to learn that going through is better than being teleported out of a valley. You learn more when you walk through something as opposed to only ugly crying, “Just take it away. Just take it away.”
The valley does not mean you’re on lockdown, it means your growth is precious to God.
If you are going through the fire right now, keep on going. Keep on moving forward even though you feel faint and discouraged. Now is not the time to stay stuck and give up.
That’s not the ending to the story. That’s not what God has for you.
Do not for a second more believe the lie that God is far from you or given up on you.
Right now, even though you can’t see it, you’re being sculpted into the purest form of gold.
You want to wish the pain away but you have to let the pain do its work. This will be over soon. Keep going. It will be over soon.
If you don’t have that hope right now then that’s okay. Really, you’re okay. You can borrow some of ours.
We don’t often do this on the blog. But we want you to email us back and tell us if you are struggling right now. If you are feeling deflated, numb and lost. Just send a simple response. We are going to write your name down. We are going to pray for you every single day this week.
You can mail us at [email protected] or click here to fill up the contact form.
Even if you have to borrow hope, you are not alone this week. Keep going.
3 Responses
Going through lot of pain due to death of 16 year only child in an accident and betrayal by husband after that
Please pray for me. Going through the valley since many months, as there isn’t much work due to the Covid situation. I tutor, and right now I have only one student. Going through depression, anxiety, a lot of crying. Lost self worth. Fear of the future and the uncertainty has taken hold over me.
Deep inside I do have faith and trust in God, but rather than seeing this as an external circumstance, I see it as a result of past mistakes, punishment, etc. Your prayers will help, as did this post. Thank you very much.
Swati
Since Dec of 2021 I have lost two friends, a very close cousin,, an Aunt, I had to have my 19 year old Princess 👸 my cat put to sleep, a coworker died all within a half a year. I am 69 years old and maybe that is why. I cannot fathom all these deaths. I take it a day at a time like my PCP said. I hate to look forward to a new month. I don’t know what may happen next. Reading this blog is about the only thing that makes sense. I know no other reason or cannot reason it all out, just ask why???