Ground and Poured Out: How God Transforms Us Through Life’s Pressures

 

The Millstone Grind & Cafe, Carrollton, OH

My husband Bruce and I once had plans—beautiful, hopeful plans. We dreamed of certain things in life, had expectations of what our future would look like. But over time, illness entered our story. It quietly, then powerfully, altered the course of our days. We've had to make changes we never expected. We've lost some dreams. We've shed some tears. We've grieved the life we imagined.

Yet in the midst of this painful journey, I have found something surprising: God is still at work. He has not wasted one moment. He has been transforming me—even in my disappointment. Maybe even especially in it. It’s in the letting go that I’ve learned to lean in.

Proverbs 16:9 says, "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

Sometimes, the steps He establishes take us through terrain we never would have chosen. But that doesn't mean it's the wrong path. In fact, it might be the very one that transforms us.

I love coffee. I enjoy it in the morning, in the afternoon, alone, or even better—with friends. Coffee has become a symbol of pause, of community, of comfort in my life. But here’s the thing: coffee doesn't start as that warm, comforting drink. It starts as a hard little bean.

To get that rich flavor, that inviting aroma, the bean has to be ground. Crushed. Pressed. Hot water has to pour over it. And only then does it release what’s inside.

Isn’t that how life works sometimes?

There are seasons when it feels like everything is pressing down on us. Crushing us. The grind of caregiving, the heat of stress, the sharp sting of disappointment. But what if those very pressures are the tools God uses to draw out what He planted deep within us?

Romans 5:3-4 says, "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope."

That’s transformation. God takes what feels like destruction and uses it for growth. And like coffee, it’s not until the bean is ground and poured over with heat that the beauty and aroma are released. That process isn't pleasant, but it is purposeful.

Pain has a way of pulling up what’s buried beneath the surface. In trials, our hidden fears and unhealthy habits rise to the top. Maybe it's control, resentment, insecurity, or pride. These aren't things God wants to shame us for. They're things He wants to heal.

Isaiah 48:10 says, "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction."

That furnace isn’t punishment. It’s purification. Just like metal is purified by fire, our character is refined through hardship. Through our trials, God gently invites us to hand over the very things that are holding us back.

When Bruce got sick, I wanted so badly to hold it all together—to be strong, to fix what was broken. But what I found was that I couldn’t be everyone’s savior. And I wasn’t meant to be. God had to gently strip away my pride and self-reliance so I could fall into His arms.

Ephesians 4:22-24 calls us to "put off your old self... and be renewed in the spirit of your minds... created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

Maybe God is using your disappointment to produce compassion. Maybe He’s using your waiting to cultivate patience. Maybe what feels like a breakdown is actually a breakthrough in your soul.

Think of Joseph, thrown into a pit and then into prison, wrongly accused, forgotten by those he helped. But in that season of hiddenness, God was forming him. Molding him into the man who would save nations.

We don’t have to enjoy the grind, but we can trust the One doing the grinding.

Here’s the beautiful part: after the grinding comes the pouring.

Your pain can become a place of connection, empathy, and ministry. Your story—as hard as it may be—can be a comfort to someone else. What once brought you shame or sorrow can now bring someone else hope.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, "Blessed be... the Father of mercies... who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction."

You don’t have to have the perfect life to bless someone. You just have to be willing to pour it out.

We are all in process. And in our weakness, God’s strength becomes visible.

You may not be where you thought you'd be. But you are becoming who God has called you to be. Not despite your struggles—but because of them.

Don’t resist the grind. Let God do His work in you. Bring Him your disappointments, your losses, your fears. Let Him shape you through it all. Yield to His process, because transformation takes time.

Philippians 1:6 reminds us, "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

God doesn't just want to fix you. He wants to form Christ in you. And He will use every challenge, every pressure, and every painful surrender to make you a poured-out vessel of grace.

So next time you sip your coffee, remember: transformation takes time. And the grind is worth it.

Let the aroma of your life testify to God’s faithful work.