Fire
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7
Several years back, while doing some water sports, I took a bad fall and broke my nose. Now it wasn't one of those: "I think I might have cracked the bone a bit", but rather: "one side completely dented in and my nose is in a different place on my face", kind of breaks! J
I went to the doctor the next day. He took one look and wanted to schedule surgery. There is just something about me that hears the word surgery and automatically starts calculating how much money it is going to cost. I requested not being put under to save some. The doc agreed and we set up an appointment for later in the week.
I was facing a situation that I was dreading! But the thing was…there was no going back. If I wanted a crooked nose the rest of my life then I could cancel out, but if not, then there were no options…get it done and over with! They tried to lessen the pain. I got 500 shots and they shot something up my nose to numb it, but I can assure you, when it came time to set it, the meds didn't touch it! I can honestly say that I have never had pain like that before. It felt like the doctor put all his weight into pushing my bone back out. The noise of crunching bone was horrible, I still cringe thinking about it.
The crazy thing was that partway through…he stopped. He looked at me and asked if I was o.k. All I could say was, "just finish it". He wondered if I was sure…again "just finish it". Had I not been able to stand it any longer, my nose would still be crooked today. Had I quit before every piece of jagged broken bone was put back into place, I would still be dealing with the effect. I had to endure the pain all the way through to be completely fixed.
This makes me think about a story I once heard about a person that works with gold. A lady wanted to understand how everything worked so she went in to watch. After several minutes, she raised her hand with a question. "Sir", she asked, "why do you sit so close to the fire?" The goldsmith easily answered that he sat so close because he would only know the gold was done being refined, and all the impurities were out, when he could see his reflection in it.
Wow!
Does it feel like you are walking through the fire right now? Has it only increased in temperature rather than cooled off? Does it feel like you can't stand it any longer?
All I can say is "just finish it"!
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:2
Those are just two of the many promises that are given over and over in the Word. Promises that He WILL be with you. He will NEVER leave you. You will never be alone!
I don't know what you are dealing with today. It might be a fire that has lasted for a very long time. You might be standing on the edge, still in the ashes. All I can say is that the promise is the same: He will walk through it with you!
Please don't quit, when you are weary, lean on His shoulder. And when you are finished, with Jesus walking beside you, it will be His Face reflecting out of you!
Grit your teeth. Get stubborn to finish it out. Do NOT quit!
The end result will be the desired one. His desired one!
One more thing to remember…o how He loves you! Cling to him my friend…he will bring you through this!
