Happy Life and Work

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass.  It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” author unknown

One thing is true of everyone, you and I included; we are either in the middle of a “storm” or we soon will be.

I can remember being in the midst of the worst storm of my life and doing a lot of grumbling, complaining, and whining about the circumstances I found myself in.  A dear friend did what good friends do; he listened.  But, when I paused to take a breath he asked me this question “when all this is over what will be more important, the circumstances of the way you handle the circumstances?  That question stop me in my tracks as I thought about his penetrating question.  I knew what he was saying was that I needed a check up from the neck up!  My attitude stunk, I was enjoying my own pity party and was missing a great opportunity to learn and grow in the midst of a challenging time in my life.  That friend helped me understand the importance of  “learning to dance in the rain”.  He taught me that, during the trials we face in life, we should not ask “why is this happening to me?” and “when will this be over”, rather we should ask what can I learn from these circumstances; and more specifically “what does God want me to learn in the midst of this storm?”

We typically find ourselves in a storm because of own unwise decisions or because of another’s poor decisions.  Either way, we have a choice of how respond and conduct ourselves.  We can whine and complain and be unhappy, or we can chose to be thankful, even during a storm, realize that God is still in control, and allow him to use the circumstances to grow us and refine us.  Here is a great short story to illustrate this principle…

Malachi 3:3 says:   “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver..”

This verse puzzled some friends in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.”

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And whatever they’re going through, they’ll be a better person in the end.

To learn more about living a happy life in the middle of life’s trials, CLICK HERE!