REFINED GOLD.

Do you know what the process is to refine gold? I recently found this out this past summer and my heart grasped onto this concept and ran with it boldly. 

Now normally walking boldly is not something that comes easily for me. Or let’s say, it usually never came easily to me. In past seasons of my life, bravery was easily the scariest thing for me to step into. But this past season of my life has been nothing but easy and peaceful and the only choice was to be bold. 

 This August I moved across the country to Nashville, Tennessee from California for college. Can you say crazy? I promise you sometimes the knowledge of how I just moved across the country seems crazy for me too. This past season has forced me to step into bravery. In many ways possible. As an only child, sharing a very small space with someone was a brave and hard step. Thank you Jesus my roommate is my bestest friend since moving here! Coming from a city with a completely different demeanor showed me the raw reality of culture shock. Leaving my friends from home made me feel isolated yet eager to make new friends. This crazy big step acquired me to lose things that felt earth shattering, such as my church community back at home, as well as being 2,000 miles away from my family. And the biggest loss, my cats…. You can say I miss them just a little! Don’t worry, they're still living their best lives! 

As I stepped into this season of my life, I had this knowledge or what I would call lingering theme of refined Gold in the back of my head. This summer I dove into a discipleship program with my youth group. This year's theme was called none other than, “Paint It all Gold”.  This was my first introduction into what refined gold truly meant. 

Well, gold goes through this extremely gut wrenching process to become refined. These processes take time, energy, and much more. As I dig deeper into the theme that God has shown me in my life, I have recently been convicted by the knowledge that this very same process is what I am currently walking in.  

The first process I am going to talk about is the finding of gold. Gold is rare, and it’s valuable. But, it does not look all shiny and perfect when we find it. We can easily equate this with when God finds us. We learn quickly as believers that God is faithful to his promises. Our current season is not contingent on his promises. God can find us in our mess, our homesickness, our sadness, our anxiety & loneliness. When we feel unseen by the ones around us, we are found by God. When moving here I felt like I lost more than I would ever gain through these four years I am about to embark on. God found me, in my mess. The raw and very rare gold was found. 

This second process will take  faith, and it will take trust. This second process is what we call extraction. When miners find gold, they have to put the gold under some heat. The gold that was found now goes through fire. The flames are set ablaze and put under immense amounts of pressure. This heat extracts all the impurities the gold might have and settles it to the surface. Once we are found by God, we are normally put in the fire. Let me tell you, the fire is scary. It’s intimidating, painful and not easily understood. Those things are brought to the surface and thrown in front of us. Society will tell us we have to deal with those impurities on our own. But God tells us He is there to take what we may feel like are burdens. This fire can actually be your turning point. The fire you will walk through will put your faith to the test. Some Days you’ll question if God is even with you in the fire. I know when I’m in the fire myself, all I want is God to put the hurt to a halt. But I will tell you one thing,  that very fire, is when you become more on fire for Jesus. Jesus is no stranger to suffering. The fire may feel isolated and lonely, but that's the season the enemy will trick you into believing that Jesus isn’t in the fire with you. But, in reality Jesus is holding your hand in the fire.

Let's look at  Isaiah 41:13, as it says,  "For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you. This is the opportunity to strengthen your relationship with God. To realize that in the fire valuable lessons are being learned. If you think your fire is too big for God, remind yourself how big your God is. If you're asking God where He went, I encourage you to realize He is saying to you, “child, if only you’d step into the fire”. It’s in the fire where you find yourself learning about God’s character. 

Our third and last process that gold goes through is purification and refinement. Congratulations! You have been refined! But, this process is ongoing sis! Spoiler alert! You are constantly being refined by God. And you will constantly be put through fires. 

The refinement of gold is essentially purification. We are getting purified by God. What was once gold found under dirt, is now purified in covenant relationship. In extractment and fire, is where you find your fire for God. God found you under the tarnish, and the weight of His glory came with revival and purpose. 

I could go on and on about this recurring theme of refined Gold I have found in my life. And it was only in the fire when I was reminded of this theme. This theme of covenant relationship with God in the fire. This theme of refinement. With refinement comes a need for God’s presence. It's only in the fire where you learn to become on fire for God. He will refine you into Gold. Gold that has purpose and clarity. 

I encourage you to constantly ask God to set a fire down in your soul that you can’t contain. We need a generation on fire for the Lord.  And it starts with you. Let me tell you, when you walk on fire for the Lord, it is contagious. I will easily tell you, every crippling problem has started when you stopped stoking your fire for God. Start stoking your fire for Him. 

So finally, I encourage you to ask yourself these questions. Get a pen and paper, and answer these questions sis! 

When was the last time you were on fire for the Lord? 

How can you feed your fire? Is it to serve? Is it a Godly community? 

What process of refined gold are you in right now?

I pray that you find a fresh fire and desire for God. I pray you begin or continue to burn for the God whose promises are not contingent on this world. The God who created you for a purpose, and the God who so desperately wants you to draw near to him.  And I pray you start to believe that you are refined gold. God is refining you. You just need to believe He is with you in the fire. There is something so special and valuable in the fire. 

You are pure Gold sister! 

With love, Sam.