I've been burning brush piles this week... cleaning up from a mess we made while getting some things situated on the farm. Every morning, before I set out for my day, I would stoke the fire and throw on some more burnables along with some dried wood from the piles left over from Hurricane Zeta which was the last time I had to cut up big trees. Every evening, before the sun went down and I headed inside to shower and settle in for the evening, I did the same... stoke the fire, add more fuel, and let it burn through the night. The fires continue to burn and the piles are dwindling and as I think back on the slow burn... the fanning of the embers to rekindle the flames every morning and every evening, I think about Paul's advice to Timothy in the missionary apostle's letter to his protege.
"I remind you to fan into flames the gift of God, which is in you... For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." - 2 Timothy 1:6-7
There are times in life when the flames roar; when the work you are doing is evident... the fields are in bloom and the earth is abuzz with the fruit of your labor. And then there are the unremarkable moments that are meant for the continual work that must be done without fanfare or brouhaha about which to boast... the cleanup that clears the way for what is to come. It's during these quiet moments when you have to do the work of fanning the flames lest they burn out. For me, literally speaking these days, it's at least twice a day. Figuratively speaking, though, when it comes to fanning into flame the reminders of assurance of what God is doing through me in the winter seasons of my life... I have to fan a little harder and a little more often. But I have to say...
There isn't much that feels better than the warmth from a bonfire when you are out in the cold as darkness closes in. The glow of the embers... the crackle of the wood... the fire that emerges from what was almost only smoke and ash... these things remind me of what it is to fan into flame the gifts that I have been given. They give me a literal picture of the work I must do to rekindle a passion for the things that God has already done and desires to continue in me. And if the flames, for you, are fading today, then I pray...
You would spend some time remembering who you are in Him, who you once were without Him, and you would be encouraged to get back to work in doing the things He has created you to do. Fan back into flames the gifts you have been give and get to work. If there is but one spark still left in the pile of smoking ashes, then know He can revive even the coldest heart into someone who can accomplish great things for Him.
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