FIRE & The Ember

There is an ember

Bright and hot

Beneath the ash of a fire that once burned bright.

 

You fear the fire has gone out

There are no more flames

You no longer feel the heat.

The flames that once were bright and dancing, slowly turned wood to ash

Filling the night with light

Shadows of flames dancing, crackling and sparkling fire

Heat enough to warm you

Even moving you back because the intensity was too much

Now the wood is gone

Consumed by flames how with hunger

A bed of coals: red-hot

Sparkling like treasure – they endured for awhile

A deeper heat: impressive and beautiful

Slowly the coals too began to cool

Gray ash and black coal remember the shape of the logs that burned

Closer you draw, but cannot discern the heat

There is no fire here

Gentle breezes blow the ash

Only gray, white powder covers the hunky black memory of wood

Wispy clouds of ashes swirl

 

Dig down beneath the ash that has gown cool

Deeper still

You will be surprised to find -  there remains and ember

Hidden – but hot and alive

Find it

Feed it gently

A breath of air

Nestle it in dry tinder

 

Breathe the coal to life

The first tiny flame bursts forth

 

FIRE

 

The Ember of Faith in Me

I think faith is like this. Sometime faith burns bright in me, like a fire. It is easy to see and feel. My faith is alive and powerful; it is witnessed by others and changes the landscape of my life. I feel the wonder of this force of faith that connects me to God. Faith is a substance and when it is burning brightly, it consumes all my doubts. Like wood on a natural fire, my doubts and fears are consumed by my faith. I am warmed by this; encouraged and inspired to increase and continue. The fire grows!

At other times my faith feels like a bed of coals, left by a fire that once raged. There is heat and no doubt that the fire was once a force to be reckoned with. But that was a former time. Sometimes my faith feels like it has passed its height; it is alive just more quietly, more reserved.

But there are also times when I feel my faith is a memory. There is no current activity; no brightly burning flame. There is evidence of faith! I have my testimonies and memories of times I felt the power and presence of God; so real and true. But in these times, those memories feel distant and obscure. Like the shape of a log that has been burned and is now cold black coals. Poke the shape with a stick and it will crumble to a messy heap of dead coals and ashes. The puffy clouds of gray-white ash slowly settle. That’s how my faith feels sometimes. Fragile, cold and easily broken. Wispy and settling into nothing.

In these times; I hear the quiet whisper of truth calling me to dig deeper, to believe that there is hidden potential. I remember to focus on what remains and not on the former glory of what once was. While there is no raging fire of faith to feed at this moment; it doesn’t mean there cannot be. Faith is like a fire; you can feed it and coax it back to life. Just a little ember, a tiny coal can be breathed on, fed and carefully called back to flame. Faith is like this. It is resilient and needs to be nurtured; it can be restored to its fullness again.

Faith can grow. Faith is alive. Faith is built up by truth and intentional pursuit. I feed the ember of my faith with the simple truths that I hold dear. God is near, even if I don’t feel Him. I’m going to be ok, somehow, someway, I will get through this current time. God’s goodness and power is unchanging. It only takes a little faith to please God. He sees me and knows me. God has faith for me and I have faith in Him. I am not alone; He is my source. I am loved. These are the tinder in which my ember of faith comes to life again and again.

Faith is also easily transferred. So, the fire of my faith impacts others, and their faith impacts mine. Sometimes I need others to help me tend the fire of my faith, to fuel it and breathe new life on my struggling faith.

There is an ember of faith in me, in you. Sometimes you have to dig deep to find it. It may take some care and tenderness to coax it back to life; but it’s there. The ember of your faith!

Where faith once burned brightly – it can always burn again!