Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4
When we were studying colonial America, we decided to take the boys to Colonial Williamsburg. My oldest was enthralled with an archaeology dig that was going at that time, but my youngest was laser-focused on the blacksmith forge with its own specific odor from the coal and its heavy smoke. He loved watching the flames dance, the working of the bellows, and the music of the hammer on the hot metal. We’ve been to several places since then that have allowed us to see blacksmiths at work, and every time he still goes into a bit of a trance watching.
It was something to see metal that was incredibly hard and rigid becoming so hot that it became malleable. As iron gets heated it goes through different colors. It starts out glowing red, then orange, next yellow, and finally white. The perfect forging heat color tends to be bright yellow-orange. It is even able to bend!
Sometimes we are like that hard, rigid metal and we need to go through times when “the heat is on” within our own lives in order to become malleable. Instead of losing hope and becoming bitter, we need to celebrate experience which leads to wisdom. We can glory in our sufferings not because it is happening, but because we have help in going through it. We are never alone and we are going to be given the perseverance to get out of the furnace. How wonderful to know our perseverance will build our character and our character, hope! This is a truth to keep hold of during our tough times.
Don’t be one to quit, but one to persevere. Where would Thomas Edison be if he quit when teachers said he was ‘too stupid to learn anything’? Where would physics be if Einstein gave up because his intelligence was questioned when he was young and so far behind everyone else? Would Abraham Lincoln have been our president if he didn’t take his failures in stride? Walt Disney could have given up after being told he ‘lacked imagination and had no good ideas’. Would we have ever read a Dr. Seuss book if he quit after being rejected by 27 different publishers? Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. It may not have been his time, it could have been a mistake by the coach, or it could have been a way to build perseverance, character, and ultimately hope.
Let God be your blacksmith today. Be pliable and don’t quit in the midst of the heat. When the color gets to be bright yellow-orange, God will be working in your heart the most right then. You’ll be thankful for your personal transformation at the end!
