22Mar16

Proverbs 17:3
The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.

Sometimes we go through things in life that hurt. We have those moments that we wonder, "why does this have to be so hard?" There are a lot of ways to face a trial. There are many avenues of approach. But, what ultimately matters is if you pass or if you fail. Do you win or do you quit? I've met a lot of people with excuses as to why things haven't worked out the way they wanted them to. There are people who are so used to blaming others for their own inadequacies, even blaming God, that when the trial comes they don't even try anymore. They continue to be as they are, never growing, never achieving. I had a pastor of mine once tell me that if you aren't growing then by definition you are either dead or dying. There's a lot of dead or dying people out there. They are afraid of the challenge. They are afraid of the cost. They are afraid of the pain and they will never see who they could really be.

The challenge, the test, is what makes us stronger. It is what is necessary to remove the impurities from our hearts like gold or silver to the fire. After you persevere, pass, the test you are changed into something stronger. The flip side is that consistent quitting, flaking, excuses, only allow the impurities in. What is required is the test to draw them out. We don't have to like the test but, we can get through it by knowing what it is doing for us, to us, in the meantime. We can even take joy in the test because we know that when it is over we will be better. What is your test transforming in you? What is God working on in your heart? He loves you just as you are but, He loves you way too much to leave you that way. How will you respond to the test?