God, Gold, and Radio?

Christmas is definitely my favorite time of the year. Cold weather, Christmas music, school break, family, friends, lots and lots of food, Jesus’ birthday, (which is the MOST important part) ABC family’s 25 Days of Christmas….oh, and don’t forget the Hallmark movies!  96.1 plays Christmas music beginning on Thanksgiving Day, and I am definitely one of those people who listen to it non stop until they take it off the radio station. The Delilah show, which is the radio show at night, is my favorite. Sure, they do all the “love stuff” but Delilah always finds ways to encourage and inspire her listeners. I was driving home from some recreational volleyball the other night (highlight of my week, by the way) and as I jumped in the car, trying to make sure I didn’t arrive home too late, I caught the tale end of a conversation between a man who had called in to talk to Delilah. (Don’t quote me on this, because I know I don’t have all the facts.) Delilah asked the man if he knew how white gold was made. He said he didn’t and she began to describe the process. The minerals, or whatever is taken from the ground to make the gold, are taken out of the ground. The “gold maker” then takes the minerals and applies it to an intense heat. This process allows all the impurities and the darkish, brown color to fade from the gold while a shiny, platinum color takes its place. This is what God does to our hearts; He subjects us to intense heat and He takes us through trials. We don’t understand at the time why we have to endure such pain and hardships but it is not done in vain. You can see where this is all going can’t you….amazing right? God allows us to go through the hard times, the intense heat – just like the gold, all to purify us and to make us into something better, something stronger. I can tell you from experience, and any honest person will tell you that you learn more about God and who He is when He takes you through the valley than you ever do when you’re on the mountain top. Just like the “gold maker” never takes his eye off of the gold as it goes through the heat, God NEVER takes His eyes off of us when He allows us to go through the battles. He takes us through those times to make us stronger. There will always be fires and moments of intense heat in our lives, but NEVER forget that God has you in the Palm of His hand and He is clinching His fist and has NO intention of letting you go. What a thought….it gives me chills and makes my heart skip a beat. I hope it does the same for you.