The Fruit of Refinement

The Fruit of Refinement
Have you ever been at the airport and had a flight delay, or even worse, a last minute cancellation? 
 
One day I was at the airport anxiously awaiting the fate of my delayed flight status, and the gate agent made the statement, “we thank you in advance for your patience”. At that moment, my human reaction to this situation was anything but patience. It’s interesting that she chose the words, “in advance”; she didn’t leave room for any other reaction.The only way I was going to genuinely pursue a posture of patience, amidst my many frustrating emotions, was to have a heart change take place.   
 
Our delays in life, ranging from a flight all the way to what feels like a postponement of a dream, can leave us wondering why God has left us hanging when we had a destination with a time of arrival.
 
“...With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)
 
Our perceived delays are part of God’s development for us. Maybe what we interpret to be God’s “slowness” is an opportunity for a time of transformation within us. God doesn’t want us to perish as a result of our human perspective. He longs for our hearts to be aligned with His because our destinations in life are not ours to try to figure out or comprehend. When we soften our hearts and repent for the actions or things in our lives that don’t glorify Him, refinement can begin. With a refined heart, we can transform our perspective that believes His plans will always be best, and develop a deeper trust as we pursue a posture of patience.   
 
@rhiannamarie24 #SeasonOfPatience #Refinement #WheatfulWednesday

 

Get to know our Wheatful Wednesday Author, Rhianna
Rhianna Marie Nix is the author of “Faithfully Fervent: Standing Firm as a Woman of God in a World Ready to Run”, and writes devotionals for Wheat and Honey Co. Rhianna is a native Texan and a Pediatric Nurse. She is married to her wonderful husband Ryan Nix and has two dogs. Rhianna is passionately following her calling into ministry by pursuing her mission to help bring hope and healing through her testimony, proclaiming that God resurrects pain into purpose. She will fiercely fight to empower people to know Christ and believe in His incomparable power to transform and save.

Faithfully Fervent Link: https://a.co/d/01KPGEq
Headshot: @_vhphotos
Older Post Back to Wheatful Woman Blog