Purification

Today I found myself in the fifth pew of a Catholic church, listening to a sermon.  The smell of melting candles was was unsettling; it was difficult to imagine any other reason so many candles were lit-- in remembrance, in prayer.  The voice of the girl at the pulpit yanked at my heart strings and forced me to recall vivid memories of other funerals I attended growing up. 

As I attempted to choke back the tears, I flipped through a catalog of comforting words I had heard before in situations like this.  During the spring of my senior year of high school, I attended my uncle's funeral.  The man, during his life, was abrasive and hard.  I felt that it was never uncommon to have him under your skin.  But sitting in the funeral home while the minister spoke, he talked of how God had made men like silver.  At first, when you are born, you are raw and impure.  As time wears on, you are tested; God turns up the heat, scoops out the impurities that have floated to the surface, and you carry on.  Again, He turns up the heat and you are faced with life's challenges, and again he scoops out the impurities, ultimately allowing you to become a more perfect being.

It dawned on me as I was sitting there today that while things may be getting a little hot under the collar, there is a greater purpose to what I'm going through. 

Now I've never been one to go running to the Big Book to search for meaning or ultimate guidance, but I think there's go to be something to it when you're faced with adversity.