Tempered for the Test

I gave a talk for chapel on Monday about glass. I heard a sermon on it recently and it was very profound to me. Normal glass breaks quite easily without much pressure applied to it. When it breaks it shatters into a bunch of large dangerous shards which could cause severe injury and deep lacerations.

Another type of glass is called ‘tempered’ glass which as been put under repeated heatings and coolings. The stress that is applied to the glass in this way causes the network of molecules to interlock in a more complicated way. The glass is therefore made stronger by the process. When a large pressure is applied, the tempered glass does not break. When an even larger pressure is applied it might break and when an even larger pressure is applied it does indeed break but does so in a different way than before. No more large shards, but instead small pieces that have a tendency to hold together so that the majority of the object only cracks.

How can this be applied to our lives? Well, we are like glass. When we come across trials in our lives we may tend to fall apart like the normal glass. If we trust in God that it’s ok to go through them and that they might be allowed for a purpose, then we can grow. Without that growth we tend to fall apart rather quickly. People may try to help us pick up the pieces and quite often we injure them in the process with all our sharp edges. They were only trying to make things better but instead were brought into the mess and were perhaps wounded by us.

When we accept that trials are ok and allow God to use them to help us to grow, we become much stronger and can withstand more. We become tempered just like the glass. Trials that would have broken us before do nothing to us now. We do not fall apart.

1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

This verse is very encouraging because we can know that when tempted we will always have a way out and have the choice to take that way. Many people confuse this verse to be saying that we will never be given trials that we will not be able to bear. This is not what it is saying.

2 Corinthians 4:8 tells us, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

So the first verse talking about temptations is not implying that God won’t let you be stressed beyond what you can bear, or challenged beyond your ability, or pushed beyond your threshold. In reality, God allows more than you can bear all the time; perhaps on purpose. It’s only when you can’t bear the load that the strength of Christ kicks in… you realize that He is everything you need and more.

When some tremendous trial comes along that is more difficult than all the others we may in fact fall apart. But if we have been tempered we will have the strength of Christ. Instead of breaking into dangerous shards we only crack into many smaller, less dangerous pieces. Now when others attempt to help us we do not cause them harm.

Also, after all the damage has been done and we have all those cracks we are perhaps much better at letting the Holy Spirit shine through us in a way that may be seen by others. Trials are ok. Through depending on Christ they can make us stronger, well rounded, Christ-like individuals, capable of showing others the love of God.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16