The Fire Within

I just unwrapped and bit down on a Dove dark chocolate. It was good. But the sweetest part about those candies is the packaging. Doves' got a good thing going with the little messages inside the foil wrappers. Mine said, "Don't settle for a spark...light a fire instead."

For the past couple of months, I've been pretty lazy. I have had motivation at times and fantastic ideas multiplied 10 times over that I know God would like me to write about. I have meditated, pondered, and considered lots of concepts for blog posts. Yet, when it came down to sitting with my fingers poised at the keyboard, blog page up, I chickened out. Somedays, naps just seemed more satisfying. Sometimes I really did get busy with life. The kids left little time to hash out the mental compilations of thoughts, images, scriptures, songs, and revelations. I just haven't taken the moments I needed to process and write. I had a spark, but didn't light the fire.

There is so much that has happened in our world in the past couple of months that is spurring me on to a sense of urgency to write, to speak, to declare the importance of drawing close to God once again. There is a feeling of great turbulence in the atmosphere. False prophets deceive, wars rage, natural disasters tear apart the physical security of all around the world, and the economy seems hopeless. Now is the time to step up to the plate, pick up the bat, and hit the ball. Somedays I might not hit it out of the park, but I'd rather get a bunt than do nothing at all.

My greatest hope in putting my thoughts out there is that it will mean something to someone who needed to hear it right then. I spend most of my days at home with my kids, and although I believe without a doubt that my primary "mission field" is right here with my children, I am also not going to be negligent of the fact that God has placed me in a day and age in history that I have the means to speak to many people through this blog. I will not sit idle and do nothing. (Matthew 24:14-"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.")

Jesus is calling us as followers to take the spark of His salvation and spread it as wild fire. We are never to be satisfied with complacency and the life of ease. A life on fire will never be comfortable, but it will be exciting! Oh, Lord, help us not to live content with a spark. Let us hunger for the fire! Because it matters. Now, more than ever, it matters.

What can you do to stop settling for the spark? How will you light the fire again?