I had such a nice time with Ruthie and Suzi tonight. We headed over to Ruthie's church to hear a special speaker, then we three hung out at Sonic and chatted for a bit. What a perfect end to a rather long week ... a refreshing breeze!

I want to reread Elisabeth Elliot's A Path Through Suffering. Just her life in itself speaks volumes to me--that she would go back and minister to the very people who were responsible for her young husband's death. But I read this particular book while I was in college, and was so encouraged by it. This week I have been poignantly reminded of how, for whatever reason, the Lord has been allowing some hard situations in my life. Our staff ladies' meeting last night was about this, and how He uses these things to prune us and prepare us for things He would have us do in the future.

Though this past week hasn't been the easiest, somehow I've been feeling so much better today. We had a really good devotion this morning during staff prayer. The young man leading it told the story of a man who would go places and speak.

Every place he'd go, two men would show up with signs, protesting and saying he wasn't speaking the truth. I'm sure the man must have become pretty exasperated. But one day he had a vision of a beautiful piece of metal. He said, "Lord, how did you make that?"

Then the Lord showed him how putting it through the fire would make an even more exquisite piece of metal. That man then saw the two troublemakers as God's chosen instruments of refining and shaping in his life. The next time he saw the men he was practically running up to them and hugging them and saying, "Can I help you carry your signs?" He was so thankful for this means of becoming more like Jesus. O, that we would all learn to see life in this way!