Spoons and God's Transforming Grace
“So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:7
“For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.” Psalm 66:10-12
Spoons. We balance them on our noses. We use them to eat our Greystone bread pudding. We fling things across the room with them. But do you know how a spoon is made?
A man (or woman) called a blacksmith takes a spoon and then puts it into a fire. Then they pull the spoon out and check to see if they can see their reflection in the spoon. They keep burning off the bad on the spoon and pulling it out until they can see their perfect reflection in the spoon.
As the blacksmith refines the spoon, so God refines each of us! He puts us through various trials, life adventures, and questions to rid us of our sin. God won’t stop putting us in His fire, because He desires to see His pure and perfect reflection in us.
How thankful am I that God chooses to refine me. He cares enough for me that He would keep sticking me back into the fire and keep pounding me out so that I can be more like Him.
What patience and grace our God has! So the next time you pull out a spoon to eat your cereal ask yourself: How is God refining me? What sin is he ridding my life of? How am I becoming more like Him? And praise him for refinement.