I will never forget a field trip I went on as a kid where one of the activities was panning for gold. 

As we stood in a line at the large tin trough, we were excited because we just knew our pans full of dirt and soot just had to have some gold. 

We sifted it, swirled it and shook it around trying to discover the gold. It was a painstakingly slow process of removing all the dirt and allowing the gold to settle to the bottom.

As I was living in “the basement” for two years of my life, I realized God wanted me to see the gold He created in me. He was allowing all the dirt in my life to be shaken off, like bitterness I had towards my failed relationships, the false identity I received from men, harmful words I had spoken over myself and the negative things others had spoken over me, and my obsession with my appearance. 

I could go on, but He knew I needed a good swirling, sifting, and shaking to get to my gold.

Trust me, I didn’t like this process at first, but as I look back, I see how necessary it was and how much of my true self was hidden under so much muck and mire.

Our Creator wants to help us grow into all we were meant to be. 

In these seasons of removing the dirt to discover the gold, it might be a more self-focused season. 

Sometimes it’s so intense you don’t have capacity for much else and that is ok. You definitely can’t stay there, but for a season it is good to allow the Lord to work as intensely as He wants.

He processes different things at different points in our lives because He knows us best. It’s up to us to submit to the process and allow the gold to come forth.

As painful as the season initially felt, it was where I first learned what true love looked and felt like. During this intense season, I was almost 40 years old with two darling children, divorced, and had a boyfriend shortly after my divorce.

There was a place in my heart that was created for Love Himself, God. Until I found that, all the other “things in the world” would not give me the satisfaction that I needed.

The love I was looking for all my life was right in front of me. It came from a place I never suspected, but it was as real as anything I can imagine.

It just took a little sifting and patience to find the gold.

And it has totally been worth it.

Where do you think you can find the gold in your current season?