Can you take the heat?

I'm sure you all heard of the expression.."sink or swim" or I know one of these volleyball t-shirts I had or might of saw (I can't remember) was "If you can't take the heat, get off the court." I know for me, Volleyball was my life. It was what I breathed, ate, thought about. Volleyball was my god. I wanted to do everything I could to be the best. However, God stopped me. He stopped me from playing and took me down another path. I felt like I was going through the most intense break-up of my life with my boyfriend, volleyball. LOL. I felt so lost with my life. I felt I had no purpose in my life. It was everything to me. Then when he stripped away "my god", I found the One who truly brings purpose, Who brings hope. Who loves me more than Volleyball ever could. Who I didn't have to try my hardest to keep going with...I just had to fall into His hands. I guess where I'm going with this is, its nothing of ourselves that we can do to change. Yes, our actions and our words bring consequences but God is the one who changes our hearts. He draws us to Himself (John 6:44). Things here definitely got heated within the past few weeks. I felt like I was under so much pressure I didn't know if I could take it. I realized I had a "god" that I felt if I didn't feed it, or make sure I was doing everything I could to keep it peaceful, it was over! It was a circumstance I was living in. The thing is, God allows things to happen..not saying He wants them to happen but allows them to happen so that we may realize what dirt is in our lives..so that we may draw closer to Him. God is refining us and He doesn't do that to hurt us but He does that to give us an abundant life, a life that actually has purpose, through Jesus Christ who died and saved us from our sins which would be our wrong-doing, our mistakes, our selfish ways. If you think living life on your own and doing whatever the heck you want is a free life, tell me that straight in the eyes that it is. I bet it is exhausting. I bet deep down you try so hard to make things happen for yourself and that you keep running to all these different things to fill you up and make you happy but you realize it runs out soon and you gotta keep filling up! NOT WITH MY JESUS!! HE NEVER RUNS DRY!! YOU NEVER THIRST!!! Jesus says, "Anyone who drinks this water (your own ways, worldly ways, what the world tells you to do) will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will NEVER be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." Jesus loves you so much that He came, died for you to live a life of purpose! I realized, even being a Christian, I would still draw from a well that would try and fill me up rather than God. I realized I let my emotions get the best of me when I am under heat rather than just being still, at my Lord's feet and listening to Him. I have to run to other people and what I feel at that moment, thinking I can't take the heat, I runaway..and I almost did. However, then the Lord put me in the corner and told me, "Jessie, I love you. You don't have to do this alone. I called you here and if you drink from me, you can take the heat" (Phil 4:13). I have been praying God would change my heart and He did! He listens to us! Even in the heat of the moment, we have to learn to be still before God. He knows what is best...really.