The Blacksmith ... by Nicole Byrum

It was a beautiful night at the county fair, perfect for slow meandering, social mingling, and empty calorie eating. With cheese curds in tow, my husband and I took a seat on the old wooden bleachers and watched the blacksmith at work. He was a young man in his early 20s who seemed to be more mature than his age might typically claim. Talking easily with the viewers who came and went, he seemed relaxed and confident—both in himself and in his project. Back and forth he went, walking from the red hot furnace to his anvil, and back again, patiently crafting a new creation.

As one who has patience for very few activities in life, I was struck by the time involved in this seemingly long and complicated process. Although I knew he had been trained in his craft and was working as a professional, I couldn’t help but wonder: How does he know what to do next? And how does he know when to take his project out of the fire? But yet, there he was, doing his job with ease, unstressed and relaxed. We sat there long after the cheese curds were gone, watching and waiting to see the finished product. After all the pounding, bending, and time in the fire, the once plain iron bar had become an intricate trinket. and completely in control.

Later that night, as I was getting ready for bed, I thought about the parallels between the blacksmith’s craft and the process of sanctification. How the long, slow process of refining and shaping iron bears resemblance to the way our Maker patiently and continuously molds us into the image of Christ. And how like the blacksmith, He is unhurried, calm, and completely in control.

I thought of the glowing red furnace and the necessity of the extreme heat for purifying the iron. Likewise, our Heavenly Father, in His providence, uses trials to burn off the impurities in our lives. Scripture reminds us of this truth in both the Old and New Testaments, describing faith that is refined by the fire of various trials and afflictions (1 Peter 1:7, Psalm 66:10-12, Isaiah 48:9-11). It occurred to me that while the iron product was eventually complete and no longer in need of the fire, we, by contrast, will never cease to need the fire of refinement until we are at home with Christ.

Until that day, our Maker will continue to sanctify us by His Word and His Spirit, making us into something new; something beautiful and of great use! We can rest assured that God, the ultimate blacksmith, won’t stop His work until we resemble His Son (Romans 8:29, 1 Corinthians 15:49). And yet, this will be for His glory and not our own. Just as the trinket could not take the praise for the work of its creator, so we cannot take credit for the grace God bestows upon us.

In this I pray we find great encouragement: Wherever we are in the fire, on the anvil, or in rest—God in His sovereignty and wisdom is crafting us, molding us from what we once were into what we are yet to become.

Nicole Byrum

Nicole is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 14 years of experience in community mental health. She is the author of Remade: Living Free a book written for women in recovery from substance abuse and unhealthy relationships. Nicole also maintains a blog at nicolebyrum.com as well as a podcast, 5 Minute Word. Both focus on topics related to faith and relationships. She lives in Northwest Ohio with her husband and two children. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, running, or cooking.