Latte: Trust the Refining Process

Life is an abundance of obstacles, challenges, and extremely difficult circumstances. Sometimes these are self-imposed, and sometimes they appear out of thin air leaving us asking, "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" We can try our best to live wisely and learn from mistakes, but hard times are inevitable. Numerous factors in our lives are out of our control, so what are we left to do?

"For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance."

-Psalm 66:10-12

Gold, silver and other precious metals are refined through intense processes like scorching heat and immense pressure. At the conclusion of the process, these raw materials are turned into something beautiful. That's how life is. We start off as raw materials in the hands of God, and He refines us through trials and testing. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Jonah, the disciples, Paul and even Jesus Himself along with countless others in the Bible all went through various challenges. Pass or fail, they grew through adversity as they submitted themselves to the Lord.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

-2 Corinthians 1:3-4

No one enjoys the crucible; the relentless pounding and heat cause so much pain and stress. However, the resulting character development can be amazing. As we walk through it and learn from it, we are better equipped to empathize with others and help them in their struggles. These times also humble us and keep us from the stumbling block of pride that has lead to the destruction of so many. Through trials and tribulations we dig deeper into our source of peace and comfort. It is not only us being put to the test but the origins of our stability as well.

Something I've said throughout my life is that our only real mistakes are the ones we don't learn from. As obstacles, challenges, and difficult circumstances in life put our source of comfort and peace to the test, what happens if these sources fail us? It's good to grieve, mourn, or cry; it's normal to feel anxiety or stress in intense situations. However, we don't have to stay in this state of mind. If our source of peace is bigger and stronger than our circumstances, it should empower us to overcome these challenges even if it takes time. If it fails and falls short, that's ok, but we need to seek a new source. It's never wise to return to a tainted well again and again.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

-Matthew 7:24-27

The only source that will withstand every test and trial we endure is God. As we submit these circumstances to God and ask for His strength to persevere, He will walk with us through them, and we will come out more beautiful and ready to be used by God on the other side. It may take a lot longer than we think, but we are not in it alone. The fire and storms will not overtake us. Trust the process; trust in the Lord who is moving within the process.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

-Romans 5:1-5