The Refining Process

Now, that really wasn't the reason for this blog—that was more of a rabbit that I was chasing with the intent to introduce the topic I want to talk about…

The point is that sometimes we ask God for things and He actually grants the request, but normally not exactly the way we thought it would be or should be. Sometimes, we ask for a diamond and He sends us a lump of coal. Although, we would much prefer the finished product, most of the time God gives us things that require an amount of effort on our behalf to cultivate whatever it is to make it the object of our desire. We then not only receive the item itself, but also the beauty of the refining process.

We are much the same say—though we strive for the goal of being like our Lord, Christ Jesus, it is a refining process. We would love to just be made complete and whole and perfected upon salvation, but the refining process takes time.

This reminds me of the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness". The focus of the movie was not the happiness of the main character, but rather the pursuit of this happiness. I believe that is like us—our focus is the goal before us, but what makes our lives unique, personal, individual and meaningful is not the goal or even the achievement of the goal itself, but rather to process we go through to obtain this goal. It is the refining process, or the pursuit of righteousness, that is key. Much like an artist is typically more passionate by the process of creating a masterpiece than the actual finished product itself.