Toasty.

The door was cracked just a peek. Warm air wafted out. She bustled about the kitchen, constantly making her way back to the oven to check that the bread inside was not burning.

As a little girl, I recall wondering why my grandmother didn’t just shut the door and set the timer, then come back when the toast was ready?

In the midst of wrangling my four kids and making sure I don’t burn their buttered toast, I remember my own grandmother setting the table for my siblings, cousins, and me – putting out the jelly we liked and rewarming her own coffee in the Cordel cup with the thin blue rim.

Even in the middle of breakfast chaos, she never took her eyes off of that oven.

I read a devotional recently about the refiner’s fire. I’ve often heard people say things like “trial by fire” or “removing the dross”. It sounded foreign and outdated, frankly, but I got the gist. “When the going gets tough” and all that jazz.

But what surprised me was the actual process of refining metal. I was reminded of a trip the kids and I took this summer to the Museum of Agriculture and its historic village. There are various exhibits and reenactments throughout the grounds, and this particular weekend, we got to experience the blacksmith shop. We looked on as the blacksmith himself fabricated an intricate hook out of iron to gift to Harlow.

It was amazing to watch this work in real time. It was a sweltering 95-degree day in south GA with gnats whizzing about. The process of working iron involves wearing thick gloves and holding the end of a rod into a hot fire. The kids and I were grateful for the breeze flowing through every once in a while to cool our backs as we watched, even more thankful we weren’t the ones standing over the fire with all that gear.

The craftsman moved among the pieces of iron and vats of water. He seamlessly maneuvered the metal he was currently forging into the open flames. The blacksmith knew exactly how long to leave the iron piece in the fire, keeping his eyes on his craft while simultaneously engaging other onlookers in conversation about his work. At just the right time, he removed the iron from the fire and set about to shape it into the desired object.

Sweat poured down his brows and over his forearms as he worked. But he never loosed his grip on the iron between his hands until it was perfect. The iron had ornate details and a small hole at the top so the piece could be hung up and utilized to hold various objects.

When the process was complete, the blacksmith gave the piece to my daughter, who thought she’d just won the lottery!

As I reflected on all of the instances God used fire throughout the Bible, I was thankful for that day, basking in the sunshine and watching the expert blacksmith work. Because that’s the precision our Father uses when we find ourselves in the midst of fire, surrounded by flames on all sides. We feel the temperature and the stakes rising and so often call out to God to save us. We may not be able to see or hear Him when things feel as though they are melting.

It’s uncomfortable and it stretches us into something different than we were before. But all the while, the Master, the author and creator of our very lives, is watching and holding onto us to never let the heat rise above His perfect preset. He knows the little details He’s going to fashion into us, and He knows how sturdy we’ll be when things cool down. But it’s this process of getting to that point that is most important.

The impurities fall away. The distractions and the people who have been in our circle, but run when they start to smell smoke. The strained relationships and failures. All of these cannot withstand the heat. Finally, it’s just you and God. He’s locked in on you to make sure you don’t burn. Just like Grandma watching her toast.

If things are heating up around you, take heart. God’s doing something in you! You may be a little burnt around the edges, but He’s going to butter you right up and place you at just the right table to be used according to His purpose. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Remind yourself of that again and again and again.

You are loved. You are being made new. You are not alone in the fire.

See you around the farm,

Bailey

Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like fire,: declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”

Malachi 3:3-4 “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.”

Mark 9:49-50 “Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”