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I Shall Come Forth as Gold

             But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. (Job 23:10) 

            Gulp. Help. Over the past two days, I’ve experienced a slow flash of inspiration. Yes, I know: “slow” and “flash of inspiration” don’t sound right together, but that’s often how ideas work. They are both slow and fast at the same time. It started with my finding the disks that I bought to make the signs for my windows. January begins 2024 and it’s only 16 days away.

          What rhymes with four? Nothing interesting suggests itself.

What ideas can I tie to twenty-four?

The first glimmer of light… twenty-four…karat …gold. Gold really isn’t my color. I prefer blue tones like silver, but OK, it’s a nice bit of fun.

Probably twelve hours later, today’s verse rose from the depths and latched hold of the 24-carats. Naturally, my heart sank. Does this mean I am going to have a miserable, trying, difficult year? Excuse me while I whine. “I don’ wanna!”

But… “I shall come forth as gold.”

I’m not sure I want to pay the price.

And then the logic kicks in. Did I not face challenges every other year of my life?  Do I really think I will walk down “Easy Street” in 2024? Is that even slightly realistic? Of course not. So the key here isn’t whether or how I avoid difficulties in 2024 but my attitude about them. Whether they make Job’s sufferings look like a leisurely stroll or Job’s sufferings were a million times worse, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is whether I hold on to the same assurance that he did. No matter what the trials, I will be the better for it when they are done.

 

 

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