Sifting For Gold

Have you ever heard of Gold Panning? I would dare say to most folks, this question would have zero meaning and even less reason to research and come up with an answer. Even though panning for gold is basically useless information, I have a feeling I can make it relative to life. Panning is a simple process where a person places sediment, dirt, and debris in a pan and gently agitates creating a sifting process that separates the gold from everything else. Once the dirt is removed what is left is something of value.

A little closer to home, lets go inside your kitchen. I bet everyone has a sifter that is used for baking. Why is a sifter relevant to good baking? If there are any chunks in the flour or other mixes it sifts it out to where all that is left is the finest material that will make the best goods. When you are baking a cake or any other special delicacy surely you prefer to have the finest ingredients sifted to perfection.

Life is tough, I am sure no one would question that. Day after day our lives get bogged down with chunks of debris that make it almost impossible to pursue hopes and dreams. If allowed to pile up to high the weight of the dirt we are carrying feels like a mountain that is pushing us further into the ground. One day the piles of mud and trash becomes so heavy that our back can no longer carry the load. Our knees buckle, or arms give out, our heart gives up, our dreams fade, and our hope is gone. We are face down in the pits of hell and what little glimmer of light we can see from the corner of an eye is slowly waning by the last elements of dust covering the lifeless form that once carried our name. It is easy at this point to say "I give up".

When life places you in the this dreadful, yet all to common spot we call rock bottom, you only have two choices left of which to choose. One you can remain in the valley and live out your life never realizing how much God given potential was still inside you. Second, with what little strength you have left, you can start sifting the dirt out of your life until you find the treasures remaining in the bottom of the pan. Choose wisely, your life depends on it. Assuming you chose to life all of the sudden the main thing, becomes the main thing. No longer does the finest car matter, nor the biggest house, or even the latest fashions, or entertaining at the most expensive restaurants. Keeping up has now replaced with the innate desire to survive. It's gold we seek at this juncture of life. We sift and we sift and we sift, and slowly but surely the dirt fades and nuggets of hope emerge.

The weight of the world we attempt to carry can break our backs and our spirit in short order. The secret we tried to conceal, the sin we regret committing, the debt we so desperately need forgiven, the groceries we can't afford, the addictions we can't break, or the demons we refuse to face. All of this is dirt that can be sifted out of your life so the gold can shine through. The dirt and debris that has fallen from the pan is slowly filling the hole that life has dug. Before long the sun is shining the clouds have faded and the beautiful flower God planted inside of you is blooming. Even the sifted dirt and debris begins to show signs of beautiful vegetation.

No longer do the sins of our past shackle us from seeing the hope in our present. We are sifted, we are gifted, we are special, WE ARE GOLD that has been mined, refined, and polished. Our life matters as do our dreams. Gone are the days when darkness was our guide, gone are the habits that forced us into the bottomless pit of doom. What has arrived is the new you with an awe inspired hope to become the best person you can possibly be.

I realize how easy it is to write this short metaphorical blog about life and gold. I also realize how truly complex it is to make decisions that we so fearfully dread. Being buried alive did not happen over night nor will the sifting process give you instant remission from the burdens you are carrying. Once you find yourself at the bottom the only thing left is to climb out. There will be seemingly insurmountable struggles along the way, you will slip and fall and doubt every step you take. I urge you to remember as you climb what it felt like to be at the bottom. Every setback will become a stepping stone that will bring you closer to the surface. Once you are on level ground then you will find the strength to continue your journey up the mountain.

As you face the chapter in life, many will be watching. Some will try to hold you back or push you down, while others will look to you for inspiration as they begin their own sifting process. With God's love pouring forth, the true you that you were born to be will begin to sprout. Before long your life will be filled with hope, joy, and a peace you thought would never return. There are so many people in this pathway of life that will not have the strength to sift for their gold. It is up to us to help them mine the beauty that still dwells in their lives. As we help them remove the mud and dirt from their life ours will continue to take on a new meaning. Life isn't about attaining material possessions, life is about finding the gold in the body God placed us in. Yes there is gold in them there hills and there is gold in you. Together lets sift through the dirt wash away the debris so we can see the greatest miracle God ever created. Your life is worth living, let's get busy, we have some gold mining to do.

Peace and love
Dale