forged in fire: moving metal

on forged in fire, after the bladesmiths have made a shop drawing, they begin to move the metal. metal, of course, is a hard, durable material, and only moves under great pressure.

the bladesmiths fire up up red-hot forges and let the metal sit in them until they are not just red-hot, but yellow. then they pull the metal out and quickly put it on an anvil, and they hammer it into shape until it begins to cool; then they put it back in the forge and repeat that process. with a hammer and an anvil, the bladesmiths can make the metal longer, thinner, and they can form it into the shape of a blade.

we are forged in fire. we are like those blades, and God is the bladesmith, the Maker. this process of moving metal reminds me of a couple of spiritual principles- number one is the idea that God shapes us through pressure. we all know this verse from james 1: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." when a bladesmith heats metal, and hammers it and smashes it, he is not doing it to punish it, he is doing it to shape it and make it strong. God often shapes us through pressure and pain and hardships- it feels like punishment; but God is like the bladesmith- He doesn't just see things in the moment, He sees things how they will eventually be. maybe the reason that God uses pressure to shape us is that we ourselves are like metal: stubborn, rigid and set in our ways.

this reminds me of another principle- iron sharpens iron. proverbs 27:17 says, "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." I have taught this verse for years- and when I do, I often say that God uses other people to shape and sharpen us. I also like think about a butcher sharpening his knife with a file or a whetstone. on forged in fire, they use grinders and sanders to sharpen their blades. when I have taught this verse I talk about one person coming alongside another person and gently rubbing off the rough surfaces- like a friendly mentor. That may have been the writer of proverbs intended meaning, but when I think about proverbs, and the writer, and the time that it was written, they didn't have grinders or sand paper. The verse doesn't say, "as sandpaper sharpens iron..." it says, "as iron sharpens iron..." and on forged in fire, iron sharpens iron when a hammer bashes into a piece of steel and shapes it. so maybe the writer of proverbs wasn't saying that we are gently sharpened by a friendly mentor- maybe they are saying that we are sharpened when a friend gives us tough love; when they are brave enough to confront us with the truth, as painful as that feels sometimes. in the same chapter of proverbs the writer says in proverbs 27:6, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." when a friend is brave enough to hammer us with the truth, it sharpens us and shapes us.

here is a third insight about the process of moving metal that I am reminded of- the bladesmith believes in the metal. when I teach these thing to students, I like to see the process of knife making from the steel's point of view. the steel was happy- then it was picked up by the bladesmith and put under intense heat. then it was smashed repeatedly. then it was grinded and filed. from the steel's perspective, it is being punished and beaten, and put through a long season of suffering. from the steel's point of view, it may be asking, "what did I do wrong?! why am I being treated like this?! does this bladesmith hate me?!" but in reality, the bladesmith doesn't hate the steel, they believe in the steel. they believe that it can be strong, and sharp and useful; and because the bladesmith believes in the steel, they shape it. maybe when we are going through a trial and difficult times, it's not because we are being punished, or because God hates us; it's because God believes in us; He has a special job for us. He believes that we can be strong and sharp and useful; so He is shaping us for a special role in the future.

God is the blacksmith and we are the steel. The world may see scrap, but God sees a sword.

God is love.
-rev-rob