People know where to mine silver and how to refine gold.
Job 28:1 NLT
Happy Friday! Regardless of your beliefs, your politics, your opinions, today is a monumental day in history. May we set aside our differences, come together as one, and celebrate our nation!
Having said that, well, you know the drill. It is Friday, my favorite day of the week. Date day, for me and my sweet man, a visit to my hair wizard, who makes all things gray disappear, and the day where I join Kate Motaung and others, where we come together and write five minutes, on one word.
Today’s word: REFINE
***
The days were dark. I lay in a fog of haze. It was the first hardest days. The days when all I could summon was simply to survive.
To survive in the midst of The Refiner’s fire. In the flames there were things only I could see.
My Bible, full of post its, underlined and highlighted words,
A good pen, with which to write.
The perfect journal, where pages lay flat.
Books stacked high, waiting to be read.
Titles, such as
Feast for Thieves, The Prayer Box, Atlas Girl,
Sand in my Sandwich, The Hardest Peace.
The Schooling of Claybird Catts, Praying for Strangers,
Life in the Hollow, Still Life With Breadcrumbs,
Simply Tuesday and Just Show Up.
Just to name a few.
Steaming hot coffee in hand
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Fuzzy Socks and Jammies too.
The flames of unholy hard. When your eyes are opened, your heart will see, there is One dancing with you.
“There ought not to be any dust in the room at all. But this ballet’s so wonderful that I’m glad a little ‘dirt’ has been left. When I was still ‘healthy’ I saw almost nothing and didn’t think about anything. I didn’t even have dreams, not proper ones. Now I’ve got all this. And I feel that only now do I understand how wonderful it is to be alive.”
Thomas Montasser from A Very Special Year
How wonderful is to be alive. How wonderful is to dance in the arms of Jesus. A ballet through the Refiner’s fire where dust and dirt will drift away. And there in the midst, find gold.
Gifts of Grace

Like the poem!
?
XO
Tammy
I love the end of that quote about how only after a bit of “refining” can we see how wonderful it is to be alive! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your take on this prompt today. I appreciated it! Coming over from FMF #39
Thank you Bethany for dropping by!
XO
Tammy
I love your poem. I also love how many of the posts are going to the refining fire. Such a good remaindered that life isn’t always good and sometimes we have to go through the fire to grow.
God must be at work! We are work in progress.
Thank you for stopping by!
XO
Tammy
What a vivid description of your experience in the fire! I loved the redemption at the end with the quote. I’m your neighbor at FMF #63.
Thank you for stopping by!
XO
Tammy
Dear Tammy,
Once again your words stir my heart to look up! To know that even in the unholy hard, Jesus is there dancing with me in the flames, is the true encouragement that keeps me ever on His Path. Thank you for sharing your open heart! –Blessings!
It’s the only way, isn’t Bettie? Thank you for dropping by!
XO
Tammy
SO GOOD, my friend! *Hard… at times… but so so good! xoxo
Thank you Sweet Friend!
XO
Tammy
Gold….yes! It’s so easy to find in him. I loved this post!
Thank you Sweet Tara!
XO
Tammy