Stoke that Fire!

There are many things I have learned this winter regarding warmth, fire, wood, and kindling. One of them is the idea of stoking the fire. I had heard the term and knew it involved moving things around with the poker that comes in the fireplace utensil kit.

I did not know, however, the importance of the stoking to keep the fire going. There can be nice hot coals under a smoldering log and, without the proper air flow, there are no flames and not a whole lot of heat. The poker is now my favorite tool--- I use it to make seemingly barely lit logs that have been on the fire for a while turn into a heap of beautiful coals. I bust those logs up with the poker and pile up the coals in the middle of the stove. I can then place a new log on the coals. I leave the stove door cracked to get some good air flow. Within seconds, the new log will burst into flames. I then close the door and let it burn until it too seems to be out and then poke again.

There are days when I feel like the old burnt log. I am smoldering but not really hot. I feel suffocated by the meanness and manipulation that surrounds us. I need a good poke to keep me alive. Then I can become aware of my purpose and can get some air to fuel my fire. I am thankful that the Word of God is that poker in my life. He reminds me of His truths and of His unchanging character. People around us are filled with ill intent and hopeless self-pity and blame, but He does not change like shifting shadows. I am encouraged to not let my fire burn out. Life is hard and people are cruel, but there is a steadfastness in God alone, and He is the flame that keeps the fire going.

So, I will keep the fire burning in my home on this very cold Colorado morning, and I will trust the Lord to keep the fire of faith in my heart. Stoking is a necessary part of the process. May we stir each other up for good in our day to day lives. Keep the fire going. This world is a cold place.

Isaiah 6:5-7 " "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said," See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sins atoned for."

A New Saying

I remember that my mother had many sayings when I was growing up. The one that stands out to me is: "You butt with your own head". It has proved to be true. I have found that I have a new saying of my own as of late and that I say it often. It applies to just about everything. My phrase is: "It is what it is." There is no need to stress about it or try to work to change it. There are some things about life that simply are what they are.

Yesterday we had to figure out how to hang mirrored doors on the closet if we wanted to have them. The fact that the old farmhouse closet has no standard measurement is just a fact. The floors are uneven and the width is indeed five feet at one spot. It is not five feet, however, at other spots. The closet opening is 80 inches high----on one end. The project of hanging the closet doors might have only been a thirty minute project had the closet been "standard". With the challenges we faced, it was an almost four hour project filled with creativity to make it work. We could have gotten frustrated and irritated, but that would not have changed the closet opening even a fraction of an inch. It is what it is.

There is no need to wish for fast food in the late evening. There is none. It is what it is. Case closed.

We are surrounded by fields. Those fields have field mice. We have mice occasionally in the house (although much less alarming to us than when we first moved in-- still unpleasant). We have cats outside to help catch mice, we keep things clean inside, we seal up every possible entry port from the outside, we set sticky traps. We do all we can to prevent them, but it is what it is.

Ben can be less than motivated when it is time to help me bring in firewood for the day/night. If we don't take the ashes out, bring in wood, take the time to start the fire, and keep it going, we will be cold. It is what it is. If we want to be warm, we will do the work.

That fire keeps the house toasty until it dies out in the middle of the night. The house gets cooler in the night. It is what it is. We cover up with blankets, wear good socks, and keep our bedroom doors open to get as much of the heat as we can.

A couple of weeks ago, there was a critter at the front door with big yucky yellow teeth hissing at our kitties, and I had to decide what to do. It is what it is. It would have done me no good to wish it wasn't there-- instead, just grab the shovel and chop it in half. (It was a gopher, by the way.)

It is a freeing way to think. It is what it is, so what am I going to do with it? How will I handle the challenge at hand? My energy can be used finding a solution or coping with things as they are rather than getting wrapped up in wishing things were different. I feel like this aspect of our move to the country has been one of the many positive changes for me. Roll up your sleeves, grab your work gloves or shovel and deal with it with grace. I feel sure that my kids will find themselves saying my saying when they are grown and chuckling. Oh well, it is what it is.

Matthew 6:27, 34 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."