Back to the fire
When I consider this year of 2020 I consider how much it feels we have been in the fire. I like to consider escaping the fire to be the best for us, but recently (with the help of my wise neighbor) I have considered what fire represents.
Fire is destruction. Fire brings pain and black charring of material. It brings intense heat and caution. Colorado saw a tremendous amount of fire which led to loss which led to anger, pain and resentment. I will never discredit anyone’s pain. I acknowledge we all see pain differently and we process differently. I appreciate the story of the Refiners fire and what it can represent for our lives.
A woman goes to see a silversmith to learn the process of silver making. As she watched the silversmith, she watched him hold a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needs to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman considered that God holding us in such a hot spot. She then thought again about the verse that says: ‘He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.’ (Malachi 3:3) She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How do you know when the silver is fully refined?’ He smiled at her and answered, ‘Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.’
When I say this story defines this year I mean it. We are all challenged and we see the pain; however we can change our perspectives and consider we are being refined. We will have known an experience that has forever changed our lives.
We are made to love and laugh and live. Let’s consider this year has burnt off impurities and his image is better seen. Let's consider living a more purified life from this day forward.