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Fool’s Gold may yet be a glittering success because it’s not worthless, as many assume.

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As it turns out, critics of pyrite were py-wrong. In fact, the common mineral may fuel the future in ways we scarcely imagine.

Throughout history, the discovery of pyrite was met with elation because of its superficial resemblance to real gold, but disdain and disappointment always set in as soon as its true nature was known.

Even today, “fool’s gold” is a metaphor for anything initially considered valuable that doesn’t pan out.

But the mineral’s reputation may change because of research at West Virginia University which shows that pyrite in Appalachian shale contains abundant amounts of lithium.

Demand for that metal is soaring worldwide because it’s a crucial element in the batteries that power everything from smartphones and laptops to electric vehicles.

Right now, most lithium comes from surface mines and underwater pools in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, China, and Australia. But the mineral is hard to extract because it’s locked inside igneous rock and saltwater brine.

Separating easily accessible lithium from pyrite would be a much greener option, especially since large amounts of pyrite already exist in the leftovers from both industrial mining and oil and gas operations, past and present.

If the valuable material can be extracted from those waste materials, there would be no need for new mines, sparing the planet from more environmental degradation.

At this point, researchers are still stunned that Appalachian pyrite and lithium are found together. The next step is to see if the combination is also common elsewhere in the world. Then the priority will be to establish whether it’s commercially viable to extract the lithium from the pyrite.

If it is, it could revolutionize the battery industry and also play a key role in future tech, like nuclear fusion reactors, which will probably power much of the world’s energy in the years ahead.

It’s no wonder lithium is now called White Gold and considered a critical resource by governments around the globe.

There’s a parallel in spirituality, too, and I think it’s front-of-mind for me because I’ve spent a huge amount of my time this year on hospital units, trying to offer something of help to the sick, the dying, and their families.

I’ve lost members of my church family, relatives, and close friends. One of the people I love the very most is in palliative care.

As I confided in a recent sermon, I live five kilometres from the hospital and routinely walk home after pastoral visits there, often in the early hours because death and serious disease don’t keep a regular schedule. More times than not on those solitary walks, I’m enveloped by a sense of inadequacy and powerlessness, especially when the miracle I know everyone was yearning for didn’t happen.

And that’s where Fool’s Gold comes in.

When we — or those we love — are facing a desperate need, it’s only natural to cry out to God for supernatural help and healing. In scripture, He invites us to do so, and sometimes our Father intervenes in ways that defy logical or medical explanation.

And that only makes sense. If we don’t believe God ever disrupts the natural order of things, prayer is pointless.

But, more and more, I recognize the need to combine steadfast trust in God’s unlimited power with a deep submission to His sovereignty. By their very nature, miracles are rare. Sometimes they happen. Most times, they do not, no matter how much faith you have.

If faith always led to healing, all churches would be full.

But when desperate people don’t get from God what they crave the most, many tend to treat His response like Fool’s Gold. Hope gives way to heartache, and faith grows numb. For reasons that are perfectly understandable, they reject what God offers, thinking it a pale and paltry imitation of His real power.

I get it.

But when we’re blinded by the preconceived assumption that there’s only one acceptable outcome to our fervent prayers, we’re usually oblivious to the blessings God does provide. In other words, there’s always power in spiritual pyrite.

It may not be what we want, or expect, but it’s power nonetheless.

Though God never guarantees physical healing, He always makes available His love, strength, comfort, wisdom, and Presence.

Amid suffering, He cuts through the noise and clutter of daily distortion and distraction, helps us see what’s truly important in our lives, and provides real and abundant power for this life, and the next.

If it sounds like I’m trying to let God off the hook, I’m not. I’m simply acknowledging we’ll all go through heartache, with or without Him.

When, out of disappointment, we spurn the gifts He offers, it only makes things worse and we cheat ourselves out of so many blessings — the ones I can offer hurting families, which are the same ones that help me get through those lonely walks home.

The power of God may not look like what we expect. But that doesn’t mean spiritual pyrite is for fools.

Share your thoughts with Rick at info@followers.ca A former TV reporter and journalism prof, he pastors an independent, nondenominational church in Brantford, ON called Followers of Christ (www.followers.ca)