A chiropractor for a horse? Apparently so! My web programmer Krista is an
amazing equestrian but she also really cares about her animals. Hence a
chiropractor adjustment for the new addition to the family which apparently made Jayden, the horse, feel so much better.

We all need adjustment from time to time physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Unlike Jayden’s reaction that the adjustment felt good, I’ve noticed it doesn’t always feel wonderful – at least to start.

Joyce Meyer, one of my favorite speakers, once did a conference on being
pruned by God. She had a small tree on stage as she got out a little pair of
cuticle scissors. “They’re for the really minor adjustments”, she commented.
Then she brought out sewing scissors and started cutting the tree. Finally Joyce brought out the big pruning shears and started hacking away! You almost winced every time a major branch got pruned off her little tree. There wasn’t much left by the time Joyce finished with those pruning shears!

My life the past few weeks has felt like I have been pruned away like that tree
and it hasn’t been easy. I have tried to smile through it because I know it’s for my own good but it hasn’t made the pruning any less painful. Let me explain.

Say that you really want to move forward in your life. You are asking the Universe to support you in a certain decision, a career change, a relationship breakthrough or a financial goal. You feel good about what you are working towards but the changes aren’t quite happening fast enough. You want change on steroids!

So you keep asking for more guidance, more direction and more clarity. You ask for support, wisdom, and knowledge. Have you noticed that when you really get clear on what you want, sometimes the you-know-what hits the fan? Sometimes you can think, “what just happened” as life gets turned up-side down, issues you thought were dealt with and healed months or years ago are once again in your face and you are feeling in a funk. What happened to the great relationship, the marvelous career change or the new financial situation? It can feel like you have lost all the gain you have previously made. If you aren’t aware of what is happening, it can be a frightening experience.

It’s at this time that you really require faith and even more patience. Not what you wanted to hear, right? The Bible often talks about refining gold when it refers to pruning us. In ancient times gold was submitted to tremendous temperatures to continue to remove the impurities to obtain the finest gold. Imagine – gold melts at 1,102 degrees Celsius so it is an apt metaphor used to explain how “hot” our life can get when we too get refined.

There is nothing comfortable about having our impurities melted out of us but just as to refine anything, sugar, oil, silver or gold, there is a multi-stage process required. All refined products in the world today have been through many steps to achieve a level of excellence. The beautiful piece of jewelry at the store did not come out of the mine in that condition. The gold or silver along with the precious stones went through much time and effort before that ring or necklace would fetch a hefty price tag. We really aren’t much different.

We go through many processes to reach higher and higher levels of purity. It’s not an overnight purification process, a weekend workshop, a dunk in a
baptismal pool that makes us holy. It is the day-to-day fire of life that brings out the impurities, the weaknesses, the flaws and allows us to heal them and bring ourselves to a higher level of consciousness.

Thankfully, I have been through one of God’s prunings several times – there was a lot to prune when he got hold of me and I really wanted to change. So this time, I knew what was happening and today, prunings, refinings or adjustments actually excite me. It means that I am being prepared by the Universe for greater work, larger assignments and a bigger life.

If you’re not being refined or pruned, you may want to ask why not? Yes, I’m
serious. If you’re not feeling like you are being stretched to grow, put under
some heat to rid yourself of impurities or having some limiting beliefs and
programs cut away, ask yourself: Do I really want to grow?

What I have discovered is that when we ask for greater blessings, we are
prepared to receive them much like an Olympic athlete now representing their country to the world, goes through special training. That training can be arduous, challenging and even painful. However, the potential of more money, additional prestige and added opportunities comes with the new position.

Being adjusted, refined and pruned is truly a gift from the Universe. We come out of the “melting pot” cleaner, purer and with greater clarity. An ounce of gold can be pounded so thinly that it becomes transparent. Imagine the pressure put on that gold to achieve transparency but what exquisite beauty as a result. You are just like that gold. A treasure to behold.

Ask to be refined. Beg to be pruned. Plead to be adjusted. My prayer when I
am going through a session with God is simply: “Thank you God for loving me so much, for caring enough about me, for seeing my potential, that you are preparing me for the next level of life. It doesn’t feel very good, but I am excited about where you are leading me.” And I sometimes add: “And can we get it over as soon as possible please?”

We are living in interesting and exciting times. People just like you and me are being called to greater levels of faith, larger assignments, and massive missions. We all need to come to the table with the least amount of anger, fear, low selfesteem and judgment possible. Instead, everyone I know needs more love, joy, peace and prosperity in their lives. Through adjustments in our life, we can enjoy more of these qualities ourselves AND bring more to everyone we meet.

Are you being called to a greater assignment in your life? Then step up to the
plate! But also expect that some pruning, refining and adjustments will show up along with the job. As a matter of fact, pray for them.

Blessings,

This information is copyrighted. Please feel free to pass along, use as part of your spiritual newsletters but please keep all information including contact information intact. Thank you for your respect and integrity in this matter.

Jan Janzen is a non-denominational minister, author and entrepreneur. Her book Devil with a Briefcase: 101 Success Secrets for the Spiritual Entrepreneur along with her CD series for the Spiritual Entrepreneur and other resources for the entrepreneur with ethics are available at
www.spiritualentrepreneurinfo.com. For more information on Jan’s ministry and her support of microfinance projects around the world, please visit www.janjanzenministries.com

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