There is an amazing book called The Princess and Curdie, written by George McDonald, that tells of a miner boy who must go on a sacred and sometimes scary quest. In order to make him ready, an old princess “cleansed” him by burning his hands with a special fire that allowed him to see what was in a person’s heart.

When we give our hearts and lives to Jesus and choose to live for Him, He purifies us by testing our faith and giving us opportunities to trust Him in every area of our lives. This refiner’s fire is something that, over the course of our lives, makes us into the people God has called us to be, living for His glory and honor as our King. But don’t be scared away, thinking that your life is going to be full of hills that you can’t climb, temptations that are just too much for you (like playing that video game for two days straight, or gossiping about the new girl in class), or things that are too hard even to think about. Yes, life will have its tests, and not everyday can be a trip to the local fair. Remember that it is our God and Saviour Jesus that will walk hand in hand with us through the difficult parts; we just have to grasp the hand that is waiting to show us the way!

Holly Van Schouwen