“I asked the Lord for help and He saved me from all my fears.” – Psalm 34:4
Shawna could only watch as it burned. The acrid smell of fire, ash and smoke was unmistakable. She prayed frantically as firefighters chopped away at the roof directly above where her children had once slept.
Her family was safe, all 5 of them. Since Christmas, when the landlord had turned off their heat, they had been forced to huddle around a small space heater for warmth in one tiny bedroom. Ironically – it was probably that little heater that had torched the place.
Seeing the charred black frame with no walls was sickening. Windows had blown out and the roof was mostly gone. Only the front steps still sat where the door used to be. Bits of clothing, furniture and other items were strewn around the lawn where firemen had thrown them out the windows. She found one of her son’s basketball shoes among the ashes, as well as the head of her daughter’s favorite doll and a few other things – badly scorched.
Her stomach was churning. Everything Shawna had ever owned, earned or bought was gone forever, including the small savings she had hidden under the rug.
With eyes wet with tears that the burly fireman mistook for grief, she murmured “I almost lost everything.”
Almost!? His mind shifted to thoughts of a pet who may have survived the inferno – or maybe the fact that they had all escaped the blaze.
Shawna continued with conviction “I have the love of Jesus in my heart, and I’ll never lose that!”
His knees grew weak – not from the weight of his heavy turnout gear, but from the undeniable faith he had just witnessed. It’s when you lose everything that true character is revealed.
“You have great faith,” he said.
“Actually,” she corrected, I am a woman of little faith, but I have a great God!” “You have to let go . . . and let God,” she said sincerely.
Shawna’s faith was the driving force she summoned to face life's challenges. Her passion was so intense that in her mind, there was no room for compromise. We stress about being popular, about grades and homework, about our future, forgetting that God is slowly teaching us to trust Him. She cried not from the loss of possessions, but because she has a God who loves her totally. It’s not up to God – it’s up to you to find that fire in your life. Are you searching?
“Holiest Firefighter – We know that you adore us. If you had a refrigerator, we’re sure that every one of our pictures would be on it. Help us return the passion you have for us . . . back to You. Let the fire you placed in our hearts burn for You through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
