“…We went through fire and through water, but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.”
Psalm 66:12
I deeply desire to keep growing, serving, and obeying throughout my life. Hand in hand with Jesus, His fingers laced in mine. I want to be transformed. But, sometimes I’m gonna walk straight into raging “fires” along the way. As long as I live on this earth that isn’t going to change. There is never going to be a point in this world where God says, “Okay, you’re perfect now. No more issues, sorrows, or fear. It’s all smooth sailing from here on out.” There’s a place for peaceful perfection and it isn’t life. It’s heaven.
We spend so much time asking God to save us from all our problems (not that there’s a thing wrong with asking – Paul did…). But, the hard truth of it is, God is more interested in walking with us through “the fire” than sparing us from the fires in our lives. True blessing isn’t just avoiding stress or pain. The real miracle is Jesus refining us. On our own, every trial in life feels like just another test. One more setback, heartache, or terror after another trying to burn our perception of happiness at the stake. But, with Christ those trials become infused with Holy Spirit fire so the real joy that is Jesus in us can truly begin.
Have you ever seen a glass maker creating a beautiful masterpiece. Watched him skillfully turning the glass over and over as the flames swarm around. Instead of melting it into oblivion, the scorching heat stretches, shapes, and molds the glass into an incredible work of art. How does the master craftsman know when to remove the glass from the flame? It sings. A flick of his finger against it’s smooth surface and out chimes that pure, sweet sound… He knows when he hears it sing.
If we’re waiting to be at peace, to be happy, to be fulfilled… to sing, until the problems, disappointments, or losses of life are only faintly glowing embers – we are going to be waiting until we die. And waiting to live until your dead just doesn’t make much sense!
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May 27, 2009
melodyaitouamara
The Love Chapter 
6 responses to “Transformation”
Aunt Linda
May 27th, 2009 at 19:48
As a wonderful Christian writer once said, “It doesn’t have to be just so for it to be so sweet” (Melody Milbrandt, August 19, 2008). If you doubt this source, just put the phrase in quotes and Google it–you’ll get one hit, and it brings you here, to Melody’s blog. Keep singing His melody, dear girl!
annie
June 2nd, 2009 at 14:53
Beautifully said, sister.
Pam
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:04
There was a popular book about not sweating the small stuff which apparently made a big impact lots of people. I remember at the time that I read it, I thought that was a huge key to living a happier life, and I suppose on some level it is. However, as years and events have unfolded for me, I have found that a better mental direction for me to face is toward praise to Jesus in the “small stuff” of life because really my days are mostly filled with that small stuff wedged inbetween the “biggies.” If I don’t pay attention to the small things, then life passes me by, and I miss it. Grandchildren have really helped me to realize this. Thank you for your faithful and faith-filled words, Melody.
Nathan
June 4th, 2009 at 20:58
Melody, another really great post here. Waiting for everything to be perfect in our lives is going to be a pretty long and frustrating wait, at least hopefully it will be a long wait. Because like you said, it aint gonna happen here on earth – perfection only happens in heaven, and for most of us heaven is a ways on down the road.
While we are here on earth it is our responsibility to take the gifts that the Lord bestows upon us and along with Him create our happiness. Happiness isn’t the same for everybody and the great thing is that God knows us all intimately and works with each of us to help lead us to our happiness. The thing that a lot of us fail to remember is that our lives, and our happiness along with it, are on His timetable and not on ours. So we alone can never truly be happy, it is only by walking with the Lord and accepting Him and His gifts will we ever find true happiness.
For our part, finding happiness sometimes requires pain, stress, confusion, and heartache. Just like you say in your post, the point isn’t to avoid the fire – but rather to use the fire to shape us and help us find happiness. Without all of the unhappy events in life (the fire) how would we recognize or even begin to appreciate happiness when we do find it?
Finding happiness often requires doing things and following the Lord places we really may not want to go at first. Finding our happiness can mean taking risks and being patient when we may not feel how we wanted or expected to feel at a particular time in our life. Faith and patience so oftentimes go hand in hand, don’t they?
So don’t wait to live until you are dead, but rather enjoy the gifts that the Lord has placed in your life and take advantage of the opportunities you get to find happiness – even if they seem too risky or aren’t exactly what you expected them to be. Because perfection is only found in heaven, but happiness does exist here on earth.
Amanda
June 8th, 2009 at 20:25
Ever want to just yell “I’m melting!” Enough of the fire already. Truth be told, without fire, we aren’t malleable enough to be molded. I guess it’s the same reason there are bugs. I hate them. But without them, we wouldn’t have the balance on earth that they help to provide. Sometimes I feel like Yosemite Sam “Ohh I hate that rabbit, er um, I mean fire.” Faith plays a major role in realizing that regardless of our feelings, we’ll make it through. Isaih 43:2-“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.
Ruth
June 15th, 2009 at 02:24
Your Grandfather and I will be married 61 years this week. And let me tell you I have been through the fire many, many times and sill spend times in it. But Jesus always brings me out on His time table . I sometimes read Romans Chap. 5 and I read verses 3,4, and 5 over and over. But you know granddaughter, Jesus has taken care of me for all of my life – even before I gave it to him. How wonderful HE is!