We are willing to subject items to the harshest of circumstances and environments in order to prove their mettle.
We want the cooler that survived a bear attack. We want the flashlight that can be run over by a car. We want our phones to be shatterproof, waterproof, even LifeProof. We want the items that have passed the most extreme tests not because we intend to use them to those limits, but because they will be all the more reliable in our everyday lives.
We regularly apply this same logic to people as well. We have our athletes train to extreme levels, we subject our military to harsh training conditions, and we challenge our medical students to a seemingly endless education process. We welcome all of these challenges to ensure we can perform at the highest level in the function of our lives.
Yet when it comes to our faith we are wary of testing. Struggles arise and we immediately begin to question if God cares about us. In fact, we sometimes take trials as evidence against God's very existence. However, if we apply the same logic with which we began, these trials might be viewed alternatively. Trials might instead seem an opportunity to galvanize our resolve.
“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.”
We'll talk metallurgy for a moment because I find it an appropriate analogy. To remove the impurities from Gold, it is superheated until broken down and liquified. Borax and soda ash are added to separate the Gold from the impurities. We are left with pure gold, but it is too soft for most practical uses alone. To bolster it's rigidity, it is joined by nickel or silver. The result is an alloy free from impurities and strengthened by another precious metal.
I submit that this analogy holds water with our own lives. We all have impurities, but steady state have no real impetus to remove them. Broken down by the struggles of life we become malleable and the flaws can be excised. However, we are left vulnerable unless our resolve is strengthened by fellow 'precious metals' coming alongside to support us.
Life is challenging and will undoubtedly break us down at points. Our choice is if we let our circumstances define us or if we rise from it. I hope my life can one day be described as "evidence of his victory."
Have a great week and be sure to share with a friend.
-the contrary disciple.