Refining

Years ago I watched the movie My Fair Lady and have always remembered how Eliza Doolittle worked at changing her accent and tone to fit in with higher society. There have been several other movies over the years that have highlighted transitions of people such as Pretty Women, The Princess Diaries and Disney’s The Sword In the Stone, just to name a few.

In these movies people go to drastic measures to become acceptable in the societies they find themselves led to either by fate or by chance. I was thinking about how much time and effort each of these characters put into making big changes in their lives and also thought, why did they do it?

In My Fair Lady, Eliza wanted to work in a flower shop, but her accent made that impossible. In Pretty Woman, Vivan wanted to have the social etiquette that would help her fit into a lifestyle she had come across through her line of work. Mia, in The Princess Diaries found out that she had been born a princess and would have to assume the responsibilities of that birthright. And one of my favorites, Arthur in the Sword and the Stone always imagined being something else and when he pulled the sword in the stone and became king, he wanted to go back to his simple life.

Each of these characters went through their own version of refinement for their own purposes. Refinement means to purify from what is coarse, vulgar, or debasing; make elegant or cultured and to bring to a finer state or form by purifying.

We can be just like these characters. At times we want to fit in with society, we want to act better that we are, we don’t always know our true identity and at times we wish we were something else. So we talk and act different, we hide our identity and we pretend we are something we are not. That’s worldly refinement.

Godly refinement is completely different. When God begins the work of refining us, it is to help us be the best version of ourselves, nobody else. He knows what’s best for us and He wants to spend time with us to create the necessary changes. He reminds us exactly who we are; We are daughters of the King! We represent Him and we don’t have to pretend that we are something else.

As He refines us our words will change because they become words that we know are true. We begin to desire to speak words that would please God and give truth and hope in love. Our etiquette (conduct) will also change because we want to live in a way that our actions glorify God and as Daughters of the King we want to represent Him well. The best part is that we will never want to be the same again. The refining that God is doing and will continue to do in us, brings us to such an incredible place of relationship with God, who would ever want to return to a place without Him?

One thing that all the characters mentioned above had in common was that they all submitted to the refining. They committed time and effort to make it happen and they were willing to do whatever it took to reach their goal.

That’s what God is asking of us, to submit to His refining and be committed to do whatever He asks. With God, we will never regret that decision to follow Him. Our lives will be full of adventure and change, but it will all be worth it!

My prayer

Father, I thank you that Your purpose in refining me is to make me the way You created me to be. You have a plan and purpose and I pray that I will fully submit to Your will and Your way. As a Daughter of the King, I pray that I will represent You well and that my conduct will reflect that I am spending time with You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Where does my help come from?

Titus 2: 11-14

“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,  while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.  He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”