I love having a fire going when I’m sitting down to write with a cup of coffee and some piano music playing in the background. I especially love it because I’ve been waiting a heck of a long time for that fire. I lived in Phoenix for seven years with a gas fireplace that didn’t work. Not that there’s much need for a fireplace in that environment. (When we put the house on the market to move to Colorado, we decided to get it fixed and found out the only problem that it had NEVER been hooked up to the gas source!)
I was so excited to move to a place that experiences seasons. I would get to snuggle up by a fire, albeit a gas one. We moved into a brand new house with a brand new fireplace. On the first chilly day, I flipped the switch and smiled. There was my fire I had longed for. My intention was to enjoy it every single day for the entire winter last year. Sadly, I enjoyed it immensely for two days and then it just stopped working.
Long story short, I had multiple people come out and look at it on many occasions. No one could figure it out. The gas levels were right. The connection to the gas source was not blocked. By all appearances, there was nothing visibly wrong with the fireplace. But appearances can be deceiving…
After hundreds of dollars were spent on disappointing service call, one fireplace repairman discovered something inside the mechanism of the fireplace. A faulty diaphragm. A small tear in it was affecting the air flow and preventing the gas from igniting a fire. He replaced the tiny broken piece, and life is good. My beautiful fire is going as I write this. And my heart is grinning. 🙂
I think most people are drawn to a roaring fire. There is a warmth that goes beyond just the heat it emits. It gives a beautiful, non-reproducible light. It’s why we light candles for a romantic evening, or to create a relaxing mood when we are alone. It’s the reason that people gather around bonfires. It’s what creates the setting for the fires at the end of camp where emotional breakthroughs happen.
Passion has often been associated with fire. And it’s a good analogy. But hopefully, it’s not just a romantic passion that gets us “fired up”. Hopefully, it’s a passion for God and for life. A burning inside that emits warmth and light on the outside. A fire that draws people in. That brings people together.
That passion has to start with a healthy heart. We might be connected to the gas (God). He is alive and well. We might look good on the outside and appear to be in working order. We do the right things, say the right things. But if our diaphragm (our heart) is torn or broken, the fire can’t ignite. Life is flat. A drudgery. We don’t make an impact because the light and the warmth aren’t there.
We need a repairman (Jesus). He gets to the “heart” of the matter. He has the know how, the right equipment and the new piece to replace what’s broken. But we have to want it. I could have lived with my fireplace not working. I would have still gone through my days functioning okay. But I would have lacked the joy that the fire brings me. I wouldn’t have experienced the light and warmth.
Jesus, place a fire in me. Fix the broken pieces of my heart that are in the way of that fire burning. Ignite me with a passion and excitement for You and for life and for others. Radiate Your glow through me so that others are drawn by Your light and warmth.
Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Matthew 5:14- 16 – You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
John 13:35 – Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
