I'm a Blacksmith

I’m a blacksmith. I don’t do it for a living mind you...but I would if I could. My grandfather was a blacksmith, his father was before him, his before him, and his before him. You could say I have the black metal, iron, in my blood! (I guess anyone could say that now that I think of it.)

I think the greatest thing on earth is steel! You can keep your gold and silver. You can make jewelry and pretty trinkets. Give me steel and I’ll build you a civilization! I’ve never been an artist. I can’t sing or dance. (Really…they’ve passed laws in every state where I’ve lived outlawing my attempts!!) But give me a forge, an anvil and a hammer and I understand the power of creation… I remember the first time I heated steel with fire and molded it with a hammer, an anvil and my will… It touched something deep in my soul. My eyes still light up when I’m in the forge. Earth, fire, water and will acting together to create something new in the universe. I love it!

When you heat steel to white hot and quench it by plunging it into ice water it can make it almost as hard as diamond! When you then spot heat it and allow it to slowly cool it changes colors… each color represents a stage of hardness. When you reach the stage appropriate for what you’re making you quench it and set the hardness. That's called 'tempering'. I liken the moment steel is tempered to the times in life when human beings are changed in inextricable ways…

There is a story about Richard the first, the King of England. He was renowned for his bravery in battle. One of his trusted aides whom had been at his side in every battle was beside him again when Richard and his men were overwhelmed. In the confusion of the battle Richard turned and began to run away in retreat. The aide who had been so steadfast at his side couldn’t believe his eyes! He called out: “King Richard…remember who you are!” Something reached into the king’s heart … He stopped running…he turned around…and Richard the Lion Heart took the day! It was in that moment…that his hardness was set. He was going the distance!

The moment for the British Empire was when Sir Winston Churchill addressed the Canadian parliament and said the French generals had predicted if France fell to the Nazis the Germans would have the English ”like a Chicken by the neck” within two weeks. When Churchill said…”Some chicken!…Some neck!" the Parliament erupted in applause! The hardness of an Empire was set.

Moments like that come in all of our lives. They are few and far between but they are moments that can change us for a lifetime. I sometimes wonder about the moments that changed the apostles. I think when Thomas touched the nail holes in the hands of the resurrected Christ and said…”My Lord and My God” that was his moment. At that moment Thomas, who was a doubter before, knew he had found something worth dying for. He took the temper…his hardness was set.

I suspect that all believers will have such a moment in their faith. So far many of us have been believers…because it’s easy. But the time is coming when some of us will have to die for our faith... Everything else in our lives will pale in comparison to that moment. It seems to me that the only way we will be able to do it is if we’ve taken the temper and our hardness is set.

Right now we're between the hammer and the anvil. We're going to take a few hits...but it’s nothing compared to the moment that we’ll take the temper. Too many Christians are fighting each other. That’s a sign that we’ve lost our temper…we’ve forgotten who the Real enemy is! I’m as guilty as anyone in that...

Maybe it would help all of us to REMEMBER WHO WE ARE! Hold our temper…and let our hardness set!