refine

One entry found.

Main Entry:

re·fine

Pronunciation:

\ri-ˈfīn\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

re·fined; re·fin·ing

Date:

1582

transitive verb
1 : to free (as metal, sugar, or oil) from impurities or unwanted material
2 : to free from moral imperfection : elevate
3 : to improve or perfect by pruning or polishing <refine a poetic style>
4 : to reduce in vigor or intensity
5 : to free from what is coarse, vulgar, or uncouth
intransitive verb
1 : to become pure or perfected
2 : to make improvement by introducing subtleties or distinctions

Today I looked up the word "refine". It came to mind and I was curious about the definition. I've thought a lot about how God refines us. I've seen emails going around of the refining process and how that compares to our process spiritually. But I was struck by something when I looked up the definition on Miriam-Websters dictionary online. One word stuck out to me.

"free"

That's it. Free. When something is refined, it is freed from something. I always viewed the refining process as removing something from an object...but this definition seems to imply that it's more of a process of freedom.

My first thoughts on this as I consider my spiritual journey this past year is a yearning for freedom. A freedom from my base nature. A freedom from living my life the way others want me to live. A freedom to be the woman God created me to be. Pure and simple. I want God to continue to refine me. To remove the parts of my life that are ugly and mean. To free me from thoughts that are not of Him. To free me from chains that He did not put on me. To free me from my own insecurities.

The harder I try to do this myself, the further down I slip. The more bound up I get in my own world. But the more I turn to Him as the Refiner, the more freedom I will experience.