“I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.” 1 Peter 1:6-7 MSG
There is such a sense of triumph in this passage. This verse particularly stood out to me after a year of hardships, relationship breakdown and having been gripped by fear following our son’s diagnosis of a rare disease.
This experience reminded me of how vital the early years of our faith had been in setting a foundation of who God was and becoming grounded in an understanding of the Grace of God. Without that foundation, I believe we would have continued on as other people must when they haven't experienced Grace. Searching for meaning and fulfilment in other ways will inevitably leave you feeling bitter and empty, and questioning God's unshakable character.
Here we are reminded that we are pure gold to God. When we remain connected to Him and hand over to Him all of life's burdens, He redeems and brings it all to good.
In this journey, what happens in our spirit and how we resonate with God is so much more important than anything else