Refining Fire

Genesis 41:1 and 41 (NIV) —

‘When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream…So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’ 

Stop. Take a moment. Looking back on your life so far, do you notice moments of growth seem to come out of moments of struggle? 

When people think of Joseph many will think of his colourful coat, or that he interpreted dreams and found favour with Pharaoh - the good stuff. However, he had quite a journey to get there. Trafficked by his brothers, falsely accused, and thrown into prison. While painful and terrifying, these experiences built up resilience in Joseph. Resilience is only developed going through the struggle. 

I loved watching ‘All that glitters’ the jewellery-making competitive show on the BBC. Gold has to get over 1000 degrees before it melts and is then poured into a mould and hammered into shape and filed to give a smooth surface. The process is rough, ugly and yet delicate at the same time, creating something beautiful and polished. 

If you reflect on your life up to this point, perhaps you can identify with this rough process. Perhaps you can see the growth that you went through. If you are going through a struggle, hold on tight, God won’t let you go. He is polishing, shaping, refining - making you beautiful.

Prayer - Father, help me to hold onto you during the struggle and remember I am not alone no matter how I feel. Help me to look back and see the growth in my life for having been through struggle.