Glowing coals

I blew on the coals and watched them glow red hot. There were only a few still burning, but I thought it would be enough to boil a small pot of water. Just making a cup of tea...yummy herbal tea called "Cold and Flu Time" from Triple Leaf Teas. I found it on a recent shopping trip to Port, and it has been making me feel better every time I drink it.

My pot warmed up, but it wasn't offering to boil, and I was sure it was not a case of "A watched pot never boils," because I was sitting there totally absorbed in my Kindle, which means I sat there a lot longer than it even felt like it.

I blew on the coals again. I drew in great breaths and blew slowly and steadily and constantly, and the coals flamed up, glowing red. The pot got a little hotter...but there were so very few coals, it was going to be a long shot.

As I sat there blowing, I thought, "They'll consume faster if you blow on them."

I replied to that thought with another thought, "It doesn't matter; I need this water to boil, and if I can, I'm going to get them hot enough to do so. It doesn't matter if they burn out. We're done cooking."

Is that how some people's lives are?

Do some people's lives get consumed faster because they burned hotter for Jesus?

If God asked you to be one of the coals for boiling water (not for slowly melting chocolate or some such delicate work), would you be willing to burn out, even if it meant shortening your lifespan?

Moving to Haiti is such an inadvisable thing to do. Everyone says not to do it, from the State Department to my neighbor down the street. I have no doubt I have shortened my lifespan by living in Haiti. I've probably ruined my liver, my lungs, my skin, and who knows what else.

My coals served a useful purpose by burning hotter. The tea I made with the boiling water was a great refreshment and caused me to feel better.

If I serve a useful purpose in God's kingdom by burning hotter, even if it's for as trivial a thing as a cup of tea for the kingdom of God, then it is worth it for me to be obedient. The length of my life, the safety of my body, and the health of my organs is secondary in importance to fulfilling the purpose God has for me to do.

So blow away, Holy Spirit, and kindle a flame that glows bright enough to show others the Savior!