Ps 66:10 You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver.
One vacation we went to a silver mine in Utah. As I listened to the guide explaining the process and work needed to extract the silver and saw the silver veins running through the rock, I realized God made us the same way. Our good character is running through us but is hidden by past experiences. Even our childhood can influence attitudes toward life.
Many people are confused and think bad things in life are God punishing us for our sins. In the 1977 movie “Oh God” the question came up of “why is there so much bad in the world”? George Burns’ answer was so true. “If nothing bad ever happens, how would you know how good life can be?” Everyone experiences seasons of discouragement, despair and even failure. God uses each test to purify us. Just as fire clears out the impurities in silver, trials refine our character. Through these trials we learn that life is a gift from God, never to be taken for granted.
The lowest times in my life have brought a new and deeper wisdom of God’s love. It can even take us through grief and loss of a loved one. These tests will cleanse us and reveal character traits we were not aware we had. When our character is purified it is more Christ like. Look at bad news and difficult circumstances as an opportunity to be purified by God’s love.
Jena Kleinpeter 