“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.” I Peter 1:6-7 (The Message)
Not long ago, I was rummaging through some old files in my desk and ran across a former player’s grade report from their first semester and their second semester (not stellar!). I had recruited this player not because they had superior grades in high school, but because they had superior ability on the soccer field and would be a good fit for my team. I believed that she could succeed academically and athletically at Point.
Many difficult obstacles were present not long after she committed to playing. There were times that I thought that the idea of soccer and school might be too much for her. The daily pressures of life, school, soccer and relationships seemed too much of an aggravation and the fire was just too hot.
As the semesters went by, I saw hope revealed to me. Her play on the field was never in question, but her grades improved each semester, and her personal life and commitment to the kingdom was also evident to me. Growth was happening before my very eyes. She eventually received her degree, and that fire she went through produced gold. God was clearly on display in this victory.
Many times, we are looking for instant success and do not want to wait on God. We make this mistake by missing the process of observing God’s work in someone’s life. The next time we witness someone going through the fire, we must realize that God is quite possibly working in their life to refine and prove them, getting them ready for his service.
God is great all the time, and we are fortunate for the gift of eternal life that he has given us. We will stumble in this life, and we will have horrible seasons of life sometimes, but our God will never give up on us.
Written by Randy Douglas, Head Women’s Soccer Coach
