All the boys in my junior high school took shop. I loved it. I enjoyed the daily break from books, working with my hands, and learning new skills. Not to mention a great shop teacher who balanced teaching and teasing to perfection.

One month we poured melted aluminum into sand molds to create plaques to hang on the wall. The artwork wasn’t so interesting (although my mom still has one, I think my brother’s, as his turned out better), but the process of melting aluminum proved fascinating.

Our teacher built a forge, and we all gathered aluminum from various sources. Intense heat melted the metal into a soupy mixture. The impurities rose to the top, then skimmed off and discarded. Pure, molten aluminum remained to pour into our molds. The teacher handled that process (junior high boys and all), while we stood by fascinated. The fire purified the metal for a new use.

The prophet Malachi describes the Lord chastening Israel, as refiner’s fire, a refiner and purifier of silver. The coming of the Lord promised to burn away areas of sin and unfaithfulness. Malachi pointed out the way the priests treated the Lord’s covenants with contempt—those attitudes now faced the forge. As a religious worker myself, I pay attention to such warnings. They cut close to the bone.

We used to sing a chorus at student gatherings, with one line going something like this, refiner’s fire, my heart’s one desire…is to be holy…

But when I read the warnings of Malachi, and think of that scorching pot of melted aluminum in shop class, and remember the pile of slag bubbled off and thrown away, I’m not so sure. Might there be an easier way, Lord? How about a refining hug?

We’re told the Lord disciplines those he loves. As long as the Lord stays involved, I can hope in the finished product that is my life, even if I don’t like the heat it takes to get me there.

Malachi 3 in week fifty of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Joni Gutierrez