“Blessed are those who persevere under fire." ~ James 1:12
The flames that reduced their home
to ashes also burned that memory into young Jared’s mind forever. He’d never forget shaking on that warm summer
evening, standing beside his Mom, Dad, siblings and Frankie (their pet collie). His senses confirmed what he was still unable
to believe. The house, their home, gone! No object had escaped its wrath.
Last night it was an inferno; acrid smoke, multi-colored
flames, and oppressive heat - even from a hundred yards away. The family had made it out by the grace of
God, their fire alarms having blared as they were supposed to. Firefighters could only watch it burn and try their best to protect the houses next door.
The sullied remains were so much more than a torched house. Once so alive, so vibrant, had been a place
of love and security, a place with memories and warmth. Now the unobstructed wind whistled through
twisted plastic and metal that had been furniture and electronics. Amid those ruins lay history, secrets, all their
personal possessions.
The fragments that had been his sanctuary, his comfort in
every storm, lay sooty at his feet. Jared
picked up some chars of what’d once been their residence, not sure what he'd
been expecting to feel by touching what was left. Perhaps some vibrancy of his youth.
There was nothing left but the plot of land to rebuild from. Dark ash would soon be part of a new life
enriching the soil below, allowing fresh vegetation to thrive. Now that the flames were gone, it will soon
be time to move on, to let go of the place where they had lived and loved.
God in His love and goodness,
reasoned Jared, had spared them from losing the one treasure each of them still
had: their lives. Everything essential
had escaped - their hearts, souls and bodies were unscathed. That’s all they needed to live in love and
joy again.
They were still a family; still
all together. They could still hold each
other, laugh, and share the love and pleasure at being alive.
Soon, thanks to the goodness of their community and extended
family, his family had been able to replace what material things they’d lost
and move into another home. Yet Jared
would never again consider the things of this world as important as the love they
shared from their hearts and the joy they spread from their souls.
