Over the past two days I have been helping out the Ignite Day camp St. John puts on for 3rd -6th graders each year. Our children’s Directors are very creative and keep the kids moving all day. This year I was asked to forge something with the boys. The project isn’t that difficult, or so I thought going into it. A small cube of metal, a wooden handle, some sanding and filing, wallah, Thor’s Hammer. Now before you start judging, it’s a culturally relevant comic and movie character. Plus it was the simplest project I could come up with, or so I thought. Drilling holes into metal isn’t easy, and I have burned out two sets of cobalt drills bits so far. Add to that not having enough supplies (more boys than I thought), I’ve spent an enormous amount of time running back and forth to the store. On top of all of that, I didn’t take into account age ability, tool experience, and hard work ethic. (I work in my sermon in the evenings).
Most could do less then I expected. It was necessary to adjust my game plan a couple of times, all and all the boys seem to enjoy it. One last group tomorrow. I have to run to the store tomorrow and get another dowel, and then drill more holes.
How appropriate, then, my devotional. I shared that forging is about shaping metal, and the harder the metal, the hotter the fire has to be to make it pliable. You see where I’m going with this? God uses all sorts of circumstances to heat up our lives so that he can shape us into the imagine of His son. The harder the heart, the hotter the circumstances. Our loving Heavenly Father will use a pretty hot fire if it means getting someone’s attention. James 1 says, “consider it all joy, my brothers, when facing various kinds of trials, because God is turning up the heat in order to shape your life and build in you godly character,” (my paraphrase). Don’t complain when difficulties come your way. Ask how God is using it to shape you into the person he wants you to be. I’m just saying…
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