Always in Process …
From broken glass to smooth stone ... He is making all things news!
We’ve each seen the
difference. We’ve encountered the sharp,
broken bottle glass on the beach that cuts the skin. It pierces like a knife and causes us to cringe
and shriek out in pain. But what happens
when this rough material goes through a refining process and endures the churning
of ocean waves? Yes … the razor-edged
material smooths out to become a precious sea glass. These naturally weathered pieces of glass are
treasures and keepsakes to beach combers.
The rounded glass resembles a tumbled stone or colorful mineral …
something far more pleasurable, mild, and blunt to touch.
Genuine sea glass is the result of gradual tumbling and rolling in the ocean for years upon years. Imagine the constant pounding and swirling of the waves eventually rounding off the edges of broken bottles or ship wreckage. Even the slick, clear face of the glass wears down until a frosted appearance covers the surface. The change is both dramatic and sweet. It is worth attending to and admiring because broken wreckage becomes a beautiful substance.
And that’s just what the Lord has been teaching me this summer. I too, have jagged cracks, cuts, and all sorts of imperfections that He desires to “work through” or “soften” with my participation. He is in process of refining my sharp edges – my anxious thoughts, careless judgements, and worries about the future. He especially wants to sand away fears that crop up as I wait for this adoption. “Are we fit to be parents again? Will a birth mother desire to choose us?” The Lord already sees me as precious and beautiful but He desires far more for my spirit and soul. My Heavenly Father invites both me and you to trust Him to step into a new level of purification, cleansing, and sifting. I am learning that the refining process takes courage and faith. It involves seeing new sharp edges (sin) and releasing them. Yes, it requires tumbling and sanding, but the outcome is beyond worthwhile. The change will be spectacular!
I pray the birth mother I meet one day understands this “sea glass refining process” too. May she see her need for a Savior and run to Him in faith. May she also know how valuable beyond measure she is. Only the caring hands of the Father above allows us to be tumbled and weathered through trying circumstances without crumbling. I learned this when our baby girls passed and our lives flipped up-side-down. Rather than being crushed and destroyed, we held tight through the journey and stepped into the transformation. The Lord shaped us into new creations for his Glory and our story is still not finished. May the birth mother we meet truly know her Creator and the hand that holds her amid the stormy waves!
Peter (in the New Testament of the Bible) says in chapter 1 verse 7: “The trial of your faith is more precious than gold.”
This means that trials will come, but there is an opportunity to embrace the tribulation and enter deeper waters of faith. The spiritual person is worth far more than the physical person. Faith produces character and character produces hope inside us which does not disappoint. It is worth enduring the discomfort and pain of refinement to become a new creation and reach a new level of maturity! Look how we are invited to reflect his glory and encounter glorious healing!
Praise God he sees us
through the waiting and hardships, and he promises to never abandon us! The tossing and turning (like the burning
away of the dross) is part of his sanctification process for us. And the promise is a plethora of bounty! Will we embrace the change or fight against it
with resistance? Let’s look for the
razor-blade glass in our lives and allow Him to shape us into smooth sea glass!
***Just this week the
movie trailer for a new film titled Lifemark caught my attention. It is a true story based on a brave young set
of birth parents who chose LIFE and the adoption option. Kirk Cameron and the Kendrick brothers tell
this moving story. Please consider seeing
it in theaters beginning this weekend (Sept. 9, 2022):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Please share our contact information with anyone interested in adoption (jerams@gmail.com). Our profile is also listed on a site called Pair Tree Family: https://pairtreefamily.com/adoption-parents/jerams. Want to partner with us financially? Please visit www.adopttogether.org and search Gillette family.
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