FIRE Burning Within

Ultimately, each individual has a choice and we will go one of two ways. The flame within us will either gain power and be set ablaze, roaring into the future with great promise and purpose. Or that light that glows within will dissipate and be quenched by fear, doubt, disbelief, laziness, blame, and feelings of insufficiency. The same God who gifted each of us the spark of life, and every breath that pours into our lungs, will be there for us and with us one way or another. The path we choose is totally up to us. It is time to be set ablaze! It is my hope that a divine spark is singed on our very hearts that we might approach life differently. Our time and focus should be on conquering the things that are trying to hold us down, on overcoming the hardship, the iniquities, and the struggles we face. We must do this for ourselves and we must do this for those around us. It is time for us as a human community to band together and unite. It is time for us to bond and share our light. Now is the time for us to ignite. What we desire is very much the same; food, water, shelter, love, respect, acceptance, and community. The dog eat dog world we live in is not getting anyone anywhere. So long as there are billions of flames burning independently and in and of themselves, unity and fire will not grow. One by one when we come together, tell our story and listen to others, the flame of hope will grow brighter. It is in these very moments that the flame of love, one person at a time, will grow stronger, and the light will dispel the darkness because it will be far too powerful and bright. There is a reason why we are where we are as a society and nation. The real pandemic is not in the form of COVID-19. The real pandemic we face is a lack of faith, a reduction of unity, straying away from family, an absence of peace, a decrease of communion, an insufficiency of truth, and a shortage of inner strength. The fire that burns inside of you and the fire that burns inside of me, the very fame of faith and the flame of hope can be what changes our world. The first step is to conquer and overcome our own trials and challenges. We must ignite the fire in our personal lives so we can burn to our fullest potential. Each of us faces mountains and we can either stare at them and give up or put on our climbing gear and start the ascent. Then when we get to the top we will have accomplished something great. Nevertheless, that is not the end point, as it is critical that we don’t merely stay up there, but we support and aid those who are also trudging through, on the rise of the climb. During times of despair and what looks like defeat, we too have the opportunity to come together to set the world ablaze and to change the course of history. This happens one day, one person, and one encounter at a time. Will you be the igniter and keep the fire burning? Or will you let it blow out or worse, put it out. As Ignatius is such a powerful example of taking a set back and turning it into a set up, we have the opportunities to do just the same in our own way. We all face things that can be negative and draining, yet we can find a way to deal with them and allow God to turn those trials into some more positive over the course of time. In doing so we will change the trajectory of our life. If Ignatius can do this, so too can you and I. The time has come and this generation needs us. Ignatius said it best, “Now go out and set this world on fire!” There have been innumerable occasions in my life where I have experienced God. He is omnipresent when waking up to a warm sunny day, sitting on a picnic table with my great grandfather while watching some deer graze in a meadow, or catching my Godson who races and jumps into my arms. God is present and his presence is felt. Most of the time it is a matter of opening up our eyes to His goodness and His subtlety that permeates our lives on a regular basis so long as we are aware of it. There are also some amazing moments where God appears and is felt in a profound way. These are often much easier to notice and leave a stronger and deeper imprint in our memories. Meanwhile, life has a ton of what we have defined to be ordinary or average moments. These are often times in our lives where we can say that God was there, as He is always by our side. And still yet, there are times when we are scared, bruised, and battered, life taking a turn for the worst. Was God there with us through those moments? How did we carry on? This is what I believe. I believe that God is truly for us and not against us. He created us out of his own kindness and care. We came into being out of God’s personal choice. He gave us life, not because He needs us, but because He loves us. When we realize that there is nothing that we can do to earn God’s love nor anything that can separate us from His everlasting love, our lives will be changed. It is the very promise of life in Jesus Christ that keeps me going every single day. The promise of the Lord’s love and redemptive power are what kept me alive and going during my darkest moments, as I battled through hell on earth.