Finding The Treasures in The Ashes

I have had a number of opportunities over the past several of years to share my 'life's story' with various church groups, organizations and individuals. I have never liked the idea of using the same notes each time I give my testimony. I learned early on that because each audience was different, it always worked better for me if I wrote my material from a fresh viewpoint. After the first few times of preparing what I would say, I noticed that each time I prepared my material I learned something new from my own history that was not only healing for me emotionally and spiritually but was also teaching me how God had answered my prayers and worked things out when the time was right. This is when God truly awed me with His presence in my life.

Our trials in life are always difficult and can sometimes be very painful, but, they can also be tremendous opportunities for spiritual growth. If we are willing to open our eyes and see what God wants us to see, we will be amazed at what we find. We may be very surprised, as I was, that God had never left, that He had not only answered my prayers, but He answered them in the best possible way for those of us involved. I learned that God had answered my prayers 'when the time was right' for everyone and this is something that I will never forget.

Our trials become like the ashes that are left after a fire. The ashes are those experiences that have caused us pain, heartache, misery, loss, and sometimes even regret. But there are treasures to be found in the ashes. If we are willing to ask God to show us the good that comes from the bad, He will. When we trust God, he will show us that we can dig through the cold ashes left from a 'fiery trial' and find beautiful 'treasurer's and precious 'gems' lying untouched amid the ashes. We know that the heat of a fire can refine precious metals. It is the same with us. The heat from our fiery trials can refine us and remake us in Christ's image.

We should never allow a trial to pass without asking God to show us the treasures He has for us from the ashes of that trial. We need to be determined that our trials will eventually make a positive difference in not only our own life, but in someone else's life, as well. We can determine to glean everything we possibly can from them for personal, emotional, and spiritual growth. When we are able to turn our negative life experiences into positive ones, it is then that we will truly find the treasures in the ashes.