Gold

Well...here I sit in front of the computer. I feel like my life is falling around my ears in shambles. Our washing machine is yet to be fixed. Now our AC is giving us problems--and in the heat and humidity that we have, you don't want to have young children and no air conditioning. Everything is just completely thrown off balance. We were on a thin pole already, and with one shove we're teetering.

I know it's really hard to believe this in even minor calamities, but God is always in control. He knew that our washing machine would break, and it would never do so unless He wanted it to. Why? Maybe he wants to open our eyes to how dependent we are on modern conveniences. Maybe he wants us to trust in Him, because He always knows what's best...even when our life plot looks like it's taking a major twist for the worst.

Yesterday, my dad had a scan on a suspicious lump on his foot. His doctor thinks it's just a cyst, but with dad's medical history they want to be absolutely sure. We've supposed to get the results today or tomorrow. It's hard to think that those stressful months of radiation and chemo were actually by the will of God, but they were.

Dave Ramsey has an interesting metaphor. Gold is only made by heat--heat that melts the gold and brings the impurities and gunk to the top to be skimmed out. The gold is left pure, and it wouldn't have been without the strong heat. This is almost like us. Life can turn up the flames, but it's really God's way of turning us into pure gold.

Yes, the fire can hurt. But, if God is the craftsman, it will bring out things in us that we didn't even know we had. Patience. Faith. Purity.

God knows our limits even better then we do ourselves. He knows just exactly how much heat we can possibly stand before it will break us. He knows how to bring out the gold.

Izori