Food for thought

Food for thought

 A Japanese sword maker will take a ordinary sheet of steel, and over a space of a couple of weeks to even a few months, this samurai sword maker will bend and twist and hammer this steel, folding the steel and then hammering the heck out it, he will do this over and over again sometimes up to 1000 folds, each fold hammering the steel flat, taking his time never rushing it, because the more folds there are the stronger the sword is.
Once he has finished the folding and shaping of the steel he begins to sharpen it, taking off the rough edges, still hammering it lightly whilst putting it into flames then cooling it off in ice cold water, again never rushing it, enjoying the time he spending making this sword, checking each time after it has been in cold water for signs of stress on the steel. Again the more times the rough sword goes into the flames and cold water the stronger it makes it.

Once the steel work is done the sword maker will proceed to apply the finishing touches, and when it is done, it is ready for battle.

It is the same way God works with us, we are weak just like that flat piece of steal, we are nothing until he grabs hold of us, and starts to bend and shape and hammer us into shape and this is done through getting rid of all the ugly things inside of us, ( Genesis 22:1 - God tested Abraham to develop his character ) when he folds us, and hammers us he is changing us from the inside out, nothing lacking only good. He is preparing us for battle, you cannot have weak sword when you go into battle. Like the sword maker who puts the steel into hot and then cold temperatures to see if it would crack, the same way God puts us into trials and tests to see if our faith in him would crack, the sword maker who takes his time making this master piece, never rushing it, sometimes even up to a couple of months, God is the same taking his time, because something good is never rushed, something strong is never rushed, and just like the 100 folds that make the sword so strong, God is mending us and using us in different situations to make us stronger, ( Romans 5:3-5 - not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. ) and it depends on God how many folds he needs to put in us, and for what purpose. And this can only happen when you seek his kingdom.

Finally the sword gets sharpened and details added, like the handle crafted out of wood, and the gold or silver trimmings around the handle. The same after everything we go through God brings us out the other side more courageous, and graceful, and sharp, ready for anything, a beautiful sword ready for battle. We are no longer a useless piece of steal, but one of the strongest swords ever to be made.