The Silversmith

On October 1, 2008, I received a call while I was at work from a cardiologist (not Alyson's current one) saying that Alyson was discussed in their weekly cardiology meeting that day. She said because of Alyson going into heart failure from all the extra blood flow, she would require the BT Shunt surgery on October 3, 2008. My mind was reeling with all the information she was giving me and she told me that the mortality rate would be around 50%. I left work as soon as I hung up the phone with her and went home and bawled my eyes out. I wasn't expecting Alyson to have her first open heart surgery until she was 4-6 months old. This all seemed so sudden! I called my dear friend Mary and was crying to her on the phone about all that was going on and how scared I was, especially since her chance of survival was 50/50! She sent me this thought by email later that night and said "you are both being refined"

I really like this. I think about this from time to time when I am facing a trial, even if it doesn't have to deal with Alyson...just life in general. On a side note - when Alyson did have her surgery on October 3, the surgeon told us her mortality rate would be 15-20%...30% being the maximum. That made me feel lots better that it wasn't 50% that was said to me just a couple of days before.

THE SILVERSMITH

Some time ago, a few ladies met to study the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver" (Malachi 3:3).

One lady decided to visit a silversmith, and report to the others on what he said about the subject. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse that says: "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver". She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered "Oh that's easy. When I see my image in it."

**If today you are feeling the head of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.