About three weeks ago, I had an experience that left me with a profound lesson.
It happened on a particular day when I returned from school, evidently exhausted. I decided to stop by a fruit stall to buy some fruits before entering the hostel. It wasn’t my first time patronizing that stall, so I was already familiar with the peculiarities of how payments were made there.
If you’re told that I got annoyed, you might need to ask for the surname to be sure it wasn’t Victoria Aladi. I often say I don’t know how to get angry, but I didn’t realize that there are situations that can provoke it. If it isn’t there, it won’t show up; but if it is, it will certainly surface. I didn’t know it was a sleeping dog, awaiting circumstance to jolt it awake.
God used that situation to expose the roots of bitterness in me.It felt so little, like a wisp of bitterness but it got me scared. I had boasted otherwise but God knew me beyond myself.
That day, somehow, I got irritated by the payment modality and complained about why she hadn’t upgraded to receiving online payments. In my dissatisfaction with having to pay extra to ensure she received her full payment from the nearby POS stand, I collected my fruits, walked away while making the payment, and mumbled some words I didn’t even understand.
Immediately I entered the hostel, the Holy Spirit swung into action. I felt terrible about what I had just done. That woman was older than my mother, and I wouldn’t have spoken to my mum in such a manner. My voice wasn’t raised, but in my heart, I think it was. My face looked calm, but there was turmoil within me.
How could I have done that?
What warranted such behavior from me?
Where did it come from?
Everything about me has always been calm and warm, but anger? Over such a minute issue? I couldn’t believe it was me, yet, disappointingly, it was.
I became deeply concerned and began to mourn my actions. When I got to my room, the Holy Spirit did a thorough work in me. I was broken. I felt remorseful about what I had done. After praying, I felt led to apologize to the woman—and I didn’t hesitate.
Surprisingly, she didn’t consider my actions disrespectful. Nevertheless, I apologized, and things became better between us (or so I think)
That experience led me to reflect on what else might still need to be exposed for God to deal with in my life.Most times, we are quick to point out the mote in another person’s eye while forgetting the beam in our eyes.
There are situations God allows to come our way, not to disgrace us, but to expose the deepest impure contents of our hearts to His purifying fire.
God is deeply concerned about the state of our hearts. He is weary of the superficiality often displayed among Christians.
Sometimes, I wonder why God promised to purify the Levites as silver is purified seven times. It is because every round does something in us. From the first purification to the seventh, impurities are gradually burnt away.
God will not stop until we are holy as He is. However, He requires our cooperation by submitting to the flames of His purifying fire.There are times when the Spirit nudges us to apologize to someone or to right a wrong—something we often don’t even consider to be one. Do we ignore His promptings in an attempt to ‘defend our rights’?
Dear friends, God is deeply concerned about the state of our hearts. He is weary of the superficiality often displayed among Christians. He is calling us to strip ourselves off every ideology that has hindered our obedience to the pruning work of the Holy Spirit.God’s perfect work through Christ Jesus can only be realized in us when we allow him cleanse us in our deepest parts.
This was the psalmist’s heart cry. No wonder he was called a man after God’s own heart—he prayed in alignment with God’s desire for him. God’s desire for us is to be pure, just as He is.
Through His workings, He may permit certain situations to reveal impurities we never knew existed. We should neither cower in shame nor resist change. Rather, we should humbly allow Him to complete His sanctifying work in us by his purifying flame.
God bless you.