I recently discovered a simple but very thought-provoking poem over the internet entitled ‘Fire.’ It’s a poem written by
Judy Brown. I will let you read it first and then share something very simple thought:
Fire… What makes a fire burn is space between the logs, a breathing
space. Too much of a good thing, too many logs packed in too tight can douse the flames almost as surely as a pail of water would.So building fires requires attention to the spaces in between, as much as to the wood.When we are able to build open spaces in the same way we have learned to pile on the logs, then we can come to see how it is fuel, and absence of the fuel together, that make fire possible.We only need to lay a log lightly from time to time. A fire grows simply because the space is there, with openings in which the flame that knows just how it wants to burn can find its way.
She said “building fires requires attention to the spaces between, as much as the wood.” If we want to keep the fire lit on the altar of our hearts and if we want to fan into flames the gifts of God in our lives, or keep our spiritual fervor serving the Lord, it will require us to create spaces in our lives in order to set our hearts and lives ablaze for God.
Just what those spaces look like?
- Setting (making) time aside for prayer, fasting, meditation, study, worship – both private and corporate, sets your heart ablaze.
- Making and spending time time with family, friends and loved ones, sets ablaze your relationships, as iron begins to sharpen iron.
- Taking time away from work; going on a vacation, could spark a new fire in your creativity and enthusiasm for your work.
- Seeking council or just asking for a second opinion could open you up to a world of new ideas, things you probably, never would have thought about.
Creating space in our lives, have the potential of igniting new passion and zeal for the things we care dearly about. So make the space today, you might just be fanning into flames the gifts of God.
