Pressure

I've been learning a lot about God's grace lately. I know that the main Greek meaning of this word is 'divine enablement', but I got a taste of that divine support in a new way while up in Minnesota……
When push comes to shove, who we really are comes out under pressure. That is when we see whether we've learned lessons God has been trying to teach us or whether we have just fooled ourselves into thinking we've learned them. Pressure is the test to see what's going on in that heart of ours. Pressure can come in many ways---from people's reactions---to circumstances changing around us. What God is looking for is our reaction so we can see exactly where we are (or are not) spiritually and then can address it. I find it helpful to look at what we don't want to do, what we don't like, and maybe even hate or dread to show us a glimpse of the placement of our heart in the spiritual puzzle of our lives. We are tricky beings, we humans---we have a way of deceiving ourselves into thinking we are something we are not---I know, b/c I have experienced this first hand. What tells us what is going on inside can be easily measured by the things we don't want to do, people we don't want to see, and places we don't want to go. Usually we look at the opposite—where you spend your time and energy shows you where your heart is—scripture backs this up by saying where your heart is there your treasure will be found. This is also a good way to see what is going on inside of us---I'm not negating using that tool, I am just saying lets look at it from another perspective and maybe we might get more insight. The point is to become more like God and release the things that keep that from happening, so we need to use every tool at our disposal. While in MN I had to do things I did not want to do and go where I didn't want to go. As I made myself do this, like I had many times in the past, I found out something about myself—my heart had changed, I mean really changed. I realized this by being in the middle of the dreaded people and places, attitudes and actions of those I would have rather avoided. It was this pressure that showed me my heart had finally changed, and God's love and grace was there in place of all the rampant emotions I had experienced every time prior. It was really cool to see God's grace at work and His love covering everything. It was like an out of body experience. God was living His life thru me in a way I could not imagine. I would recommend to anyone reading this to take stock in the things they dread and ask themselves why—what is it about this place or person or thing that bothers me so much. Maybe it is us that God is trying to change and not what or who we dread. When we run from the pressure we tie up a huge tool of God's that He uses to shape us. I used to run from lots of pressures---trying to find "peace". Little did I realize that the very pressure I was running from was actually the doorway to the peace I was craving so badly. Diamonds aren't made without pressure, they are just a lump of coal without pressure. If we run from the pressure we are not as useful to the Father as He intended for us to be. Coal is useful in its natural state, but its use is much different after becoming a diamond. In its natural state, coal is used as fuel, then becomes dust and ash. When pressure is brought to bear and a diamond is made from that raw material, you have something that will last forever, and fire cannot destroy it---in fact, diamonds are nearly indestructible. A diamond would never have been created if the coal would have refused the pressure that transformed it. The pressure transformed its value, usefulness, lifespan, strength, beauty, and desirability. People don't display hunks of coal on their fingers. God cannot display us the way He wants to until we submit to the pressure He has surrounded us with, walk into the fiery furnace and come out the other side changed forever. This is where I am headed, people, and I hope to see you all on the road peppered with pressures that transform us all into His image. --V