We’ve all experienced moments that reveal the shape of our internal frame—those unseen beliefs and assumptions that hold everything together until pressure hits.
Maybe it was a …
- conflict in your marriage
- financial surprise
- season of deep grief or overwhelming responsibility
And suddenly, the story you were telling yourself—that you were in control, or that people had your back, or that God would never let something like that happen—began to unravel.
The Reframe Principle, one of my latest books, invites us to ask
What’s really holding my frame together when life gets hard?
Because here’s the truth: trials don’t create our frame—they expose it. When life applies heat, what’s underneath either warps… or gets reforged.
The Fire of Reframing
In Scripture, fire is often a refining tool.
Peter says it this way:
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while… you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:6-7
God doesn’t just allow fire to test your frame—He uses it to reform it.
Not to punish you. Not to shame you. But to strip away what’s brittle… so He can reforge what’s eternal.
From Reaction to Reframing
In the middle of our pain, most of us default to reaction. We blame. We withdraw. We control. But the Reframe invites us to respond. What if your suffering isn’t just something to get through—but something God is using to restore you? What if that difficult conversation isn’t just conflict—it’s an invitation to intimacy? What if your disappointment isn’t a dead end—it’s a doorway to deeper dependence? What if your exhaustion isn’t failure—it’s a holy pause to realign your pace?
The Shift
From controlling outcomes to trusting the process. From blaming others to asking better questions. From despairing in the dark to looking for God in it. That doesn’t come naturally. But it does come when we learn to stop and ask:
What does this moment reveal about what I’ve been trusting?
What lie might I be believing right now?
What truth can I hold onto instead?
“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.” James 1:2–3
This isn’t toxic positivity. It’s gospel reality: When pressure hits, God is not abandoning you. He’s inviting you to be reframed by fire.
One Pivotal Question:
What is this trial trying to teach me about who God is—and who I am in Him?
Want to Go Deeper?
This post is inspired by The Reframe Principle—a gospel-centered guide to seeing your story through the eyes of the Master Craftsman.
If you’re ready to stop reacting and start reframing, you can order your copy today on Amazon.
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