The Refinery

Do you ever feel like you're in a season where you're spending a lot of time being refined? Like every time you turn around you're smack in the middle of the refinery? I've been there a lot lately.  I have a few rough edges, two to be exact, that God is really working to smooth out right now.  These are areas that have probably needed refinement for most of my adult life, but that I honestly haven't completely noticed until recently.

This refinement process is not a fun one.  Seeing and acknowledging these shortcomings is humbling to say the least.  It's a process I'd avoid all together if I could.  And I guess I could, but what I'm learning right now is that God has a plan for the refinement.  God has a plan for me that can't move forward without the refinement.  Avoiding the refinement not only damages me, but takes me out of the place where God can effectively use me in His plan.

But through this discomfort (and sometimes pain) beautiful, smooth refining happens.  A refining that makes me stronger.  A refining that teaches me.  A refining grows me.  A refining that allows me to not only move forward in God's plan for me, but allows me to see more of His plan.

Lord, help me to not be discouraged as I walk through this refinery.  Help me to see what you're trying to teach me.  Help me to grow in this.  Help me to continue to seek to live in your plan...even when that plan is uncomfortable for me.