It’s fall and bonfire season!! Have you ever seen a bonfire? Like a really big, meticulously built bonfire? Last weekend, my hubby and I took our kids to our college homecoming festivities, one of the highlights being the bonfire. The Tarleton Plowboys are a spirit organization in charge of building the bonfire. For 2 weeks prior, the Plowboys spend many hours assembling the massive wooden and brush structure. There is careful planning and execution to get the bonfire as big as it is. Last Friday, our group of friends stood in front of the bonfire before it was lit admiring it and then watched in awe as a few key university people carried lit torches up to the structure and lit it. It took a few minutes to get started, but soon the whole bonfire was engulfed in flames. “That’s the biggest fire I’ve ever seen!” my kids exclaimed, “And it was started with those sticks (torches).”
Can’t life be like that sometimes? Maybe we’ve carefully built our schedule, house, meal prep, business, relationships, etc. We think all is well, but then a little spark comes in and burns it all up. That spark could be a lot of things….health setback, financial strain, disruption in normal schedule, anxiety, hurtful words. Whatever it is, it can come out of nowhere to quickly engulf us.
The little spark can also be a good thing. We get a spark from a new idea, new business venture, unexpected good news, help from a friend, etc. Our personal life can change with just a small spark. For me, whether the spark is supposedly negative or positive, I want to use it to draw closer to God. Will I let a negative spark burn my life up and send me spiraling? Or will I let it purify me and mold me into someone stronger, more reliant on God?
“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold-though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1 Peter 1:7 NLT
Our words can also be sparks used to either build up or tear down. One little lie can cause your world to go up in smoke. Or an encouraging word can spark a host of joyful emotions. We must be aware of our words, what we are saying and how we are saying it.
“Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.” James 3:5 NLT
What kind of fire are we sparking? Are our words building up or tearing down?
When a fire does come into your life, will you turn to God and lean on Him, or rely on yourself and be burned up?
Happy November!
Melissa in progress 