When facing difficult situations, do you tend to draw nearer to God in dependence, or detour further away from Him?
Hi from the West Coast! Katrina Wylie here to wrap up our Week 1 habit: She Accepts the Assignment of Refinement.
For my kiddo’s birthday, she decided she wanted a flower bed of her very own for her present. Super sweet, right? We thought so, so we agreed and decided to set out as a family to make it happen … but then reality set in.
Apparently this was NOT the fun she imagined! And just a short while into trying to teach and help her, with hands on hips, she blurted out: “If I can’t do it my way, then I’m not doing it!” and stomped off across the yard!
In this “mama moment,” disappointment rose and began to spill out about “using this time to grow closer.” But my tongue was tamed back into silence as the Spirit pressed upon my heart: “Katrina, you do this, too.”
Ugh! #Truth
Maybe you’ve felt that nudge on your heart as well.
I’m not trying to make light of the desperate situations we sometimes face (or “refinement assignments,” as Nicki Koziarz refers to them). I do realize making a flower bed is not the same thing. But isn’t it so like God to pluck a simple situation from everyday life and use it to teach our hearts the lessons we need for those tougher times?
That’s what He did for me.
As I went back to preparing the bed for planting, God was sifting the soil of my heart to prepare ME for His future plantings. He showed me that, just as my daughter could use this experience to grow in closeness and dependence on me, we can use our own refinement assignments to draw nearer in dependence to Him.
It’s like Nicki says in Chapter 2:
“Desperate situations will either lead us to a greater dependence on God, or they can cause us to detour away from God.”
We have a choice, friend! Which will you choose?
Lord, may we be women who choose to depend on You, accepting our refinement assignments. Sift our soil, God, through this study! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Reflect and Respond:
Answer in your journal ...
Observe — Through what assignment of refinement are you struggling to depend on God?
Bible — Nicki gives us a list of “quit quitting” verses in the back of the book. Read through them, pick one that best fits your “assignment,” write it out and carry it with you for help to see your refinement through.
Stretch — In Chapter 2, Nicki helps us redefine “refinement” as “improve” or “touch up.” How would sticking with your refinement assignment help you improve your character? What’s one thing you will commit to touch up with a little more effort, grace or understanding?