“Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith;” Proverbs 25:4 NASB
Dross removal is a very unpleasant process. Here is the definition: “dross • \DRAHSS\ • noun. 1: the scum that forms on the surface of molten metal 2: waste or foreign matter: impurity 3: something that is base, trivial, or inferior.” Do you see anything worth hanging onto in that definition? Me neither. I went through each of the words in the definition and didn’t find one that I would like to have define anything about me. However, I know there have been times that in light of God’s call on my life, those words could certainly describe some aspects of my story. Solomon compares God’s refining process in our life to that of the metal worker purifying the metal he is working with. Removing the impurities in the metal makes it stronger, and as the saying goes, “the hotter the fire the stronger the iron.” Given the length of life and the number of its impurities, it has been necessary for God to allow many purifying events in my journey. The fires have gotten hot. I suspect the same could be said for some of you, as well. I am under no illusion that the process is done. Knowing myself, I’m sure it’s not. God loves me and is committed to not leaving me broken and weak. As difficult as it may be, I don’t want Him to. In the midst of her cancer journey, I remember my first wife saying, “I can’t believe people would miss out on this intimacy with God because they’re afraid of the pain.” I’m not there yet. Today, embrace the struggle as evidence of God’s love and commitment to you. #BeTheEdge
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…” Romans 8:29 NASB