During Pandemic-Tide, I have learned a bit about starting, maintaining, and putting out campfires. As we reflect on lessons about a campfire, we can also learn lessons about our faith. A fire is a good analogy, not just because John Wesley spoke of his heart being strangely warmed or because Paul warned (in 1 Thessalonians 5:19) to not quench/extinguish/put out the Spirit's fire.
Starting a Campfire
A campfire must be prepared for before it can be started. Old ashes must be removed otherwise the fire is at risk of being smothered. Likewise, in our faith, we need to let the Spirit sweep out our old way of living & our former view of the world so a new work can be built. We do not want our faith to be smothered by our old habits and mindsets. This is not a one-time action, but needs to be routinely done, in small, faithful steps.
The fire needs to be arranged well in order for it to burn well. From dryer lint and paper to cardboard and twigs before progressing to branches and logs. We can't just light up a log & get a merry fire. (In fact, we can't just decide to have a fire and just happen to have enough materials to burn. A lot of our material for our fires comes from our burnable recycling. Day by day, we set aside paper, cardboard, and other materials we can use for the fire. It takes time, intentionality, and effort to save up these items.) Likewise, in our faith, we need to start with the foundations to grow in as we stay close to God. Prayer, Bible study, and worship get us started and allows God to mold us for His work ahead. These aren't big, elaborate one-weekend-a-year commitments, but consistently meeting with God daily and weekly in small, faithful, and mundane ways.
A campfire cannot be started when we are ready to cook the hot dogs or marshmallows. I typically start it an hour before I want to cook the food. Likewise, we can't expect to be a mature Christian in a matter of weeks or even years. It takes time to be matured by the Spirit. We don't "level up" in a big, showy achievement, but in small and faithful ways, the Spirit is molding us into more Christ-like people.
What do you need to do to continue to build a good fire in your heart?
Maintaining a Campfire
To burn well, a campfire needs more than just cardboard and paper. Hearty logs are necessary for the longevity of the fire. Yet, we can't just go from kindling to the logs, there is a necessary middle layer of branches to build up to the logs. Likewise, in our faith, we need to build up the fire in our hearts. If we let the Spirit light the kindling and then we don't do anything else, the fire will die down. Furthermore, we can't expect to jump from the foundations of the faith to being a faithful disciple in everything we do; we need to allow the Spirit to build Spiritual Disciplines and holy habits into our lives. For us to keep up this fire in our hearts, we need to nourish and maintain it through small and faithful growth.
Throughout the course of the campfire, logs will shift, crumble, and otherwise move. There is a danger of the fire putting itself out if it gets too clogged up with ashes. We need to watch the fire and be prepared to intervene as we shift logs around and add more fuel as necessary. Likewise, in our faith, we need to be prepared for readjustment and changes as we grow in our faith. We should be prepared to add in Spiritual Disciplines as we grow in our faith or are feeling spiritually stifled. We don't rearrange our lives around God and His work once for all time, we need to reorient our lives around Him in the small, faithful acts we live out on a daily, weekly, and seasonal basis.
At times, the fire doesn't seem very active. The flames on the surface seem to die down, but if you look inside the firepit, towards the bottom of the fire, the coals are glowing and radiating heat. Likewise, in our faith, we may not notice much happening on the surface of our faith. We may feel like we are just stuck in a rut or going through the motions, but if we sit quietly and consider how the Spirit is teaching, guiding, and growing us, we may be surprised that the Spirit is using this quiet season to cultivate the fruit such as patience, gentleness, or self-control. Even if a season is not full of big, exciting activities, we can still be learning and growing in our faith as we faithfully do the small acts that keep the dishes and laundry caught up.
What needs done to continue to maintain your fire?
Putting out a Campfire
In order to douse a campfire, we need water and a LOT of water at that. As we pour on the water, the flames extinguish and the coals cool, as steam rises out of the firepit. Even then, we have to add more water as we stir the ashes and cinders around to ensure the fire is entirely put out. Likewise, in our faith, there are many forces trying to put out the fire in our heart. It can come from friends or relatives ridiculing our faith or from a workplace that requires employees to work on weekends. If we are not diligent in carving out time to build and maintain the fire in our heart, we may wake one day to realize that we've allowed it to be doused by a busy schedule or unreceptive audience. We must make the effort in small, faithful acts to spend time with God, in His word, so that we can continue to be molded by the Holy Spirit. As Christians, it is critical that we check our words, actions, and attitudes to ensure that we are not pouring water on other Christians' fires. Are we speaking words of encouragement or discouragement? Are we lamenting the brokenness of the world or just complaining about how we are inconvenienced? Are we providing a space where people can be vulnerable and share their struggles so we can mutually build & maintain good fires, or do our expectations of "perfect Christians" cause people to swallow their struggles as their fires die out in silence? We do not want to douse the fire in anyone's hearts.
Where does the danger of your fire being doused come from?
Are you likely to be dousing someone else's fire?
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