Beauty in the Roaring Fire

A few weeks ago the Pastor said in his sermon that we often get trapped in our thinking, thinking the way the world does. We seem to think that the next thing God has for us will be bigger and better but that isn’t always the case.  Sometimes the next thing God has for us is smaller and simpler. This spoke to my heart a truth that I have been seeing in my life everyday.

A couple of years ago a Sunday afternoon, on a cold winter day, would look something like this for our family of six: We would each grab a snack, maybe some hot cocoa or tea, get blankets and our books   and find ourselves a comfy spot in the living room of our very large house. Some of us curled up on the couch, some on beanbags on the floor, but all of us had the same focal point, the beautiful, roaring fire.  The heat it gave off was warm, the pleasant smell of burning wood and the crackling song it sang was relaxing. At times it seemed perfect.

Over the last couple of years God has moved our family on to the next thing. There are many ways that this next thing has been bigger and better, but the bigger and better has happened in the hearts of man.  Our hearts have drawn near to God and He has drawn near to us. There has been repentance, forgiveness, and love, bigger than any of us could ever dream or imagine, poured out into our hearts.  Our path has taken a new direction, one that to us, seems bigger and better because there is purpose and passion in our hearts that did not exist before. 

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But the next thing for our family has also been smaller and simpler. We find ourselves on this cold winter, Sunday afternoon in our little home. A home, that in its entirety, could probably come close to fitting in our last living room.  We have grabbed snacks, hot cocoa or hot tea, a blanket, a book or a game.  We have found our comfy spots around our television that is playing a movie of a crackling fireplace.  There is no warmth coming from it or smell of burning wood.  It lacks the cozy feeling and the beauty of the real thing, but what I saw was more beautiful than any large crackling fire in a big house.

My kids were all in their comfy spots, my husband in his recliner, and me on the couch with a blanket and a book. The kids were all whispering so they could hear the crackle of the “fire”.  My son came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder, bent down to my ear, and whispered, “This fire is so nice Mom.” A smile spread across my face, joy filled my heart, and this verse filled my head:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12, 13 NIV)