Woke up this morning (a good thing) and was immediately aware that my wood burning stove (stoked last night) was burned down. I opened the stove and there were some slightly glowing coals. So I stoked the stove again, took my time getting my coffee and sat down in my recliner. I have a ritual that I go through. First I enter in my medical stats (post my open heart surgery) and all was well. Then I read the Bible. I'm in Leviticus and even though it's the book of the law; it's anything but boring. Once completed I journal. Since the journal entry is in the early morning I usually focus on yesterday. Closing in prayer I go on to other things like toast with jam. :) An hour and a half later I was distracted as the stoked fire began to crackle and a blaze appeared in the window of the stove. It was then that I received the inspiration of what to write today. There's just something about a fire in the wood burning stove, coffee and quiet that lends the soul to express itself. That's true whether we are writing, praying or just contemplating the world that is ours.
Thankfulness is a common early morning theme for me. I'm thankful that I have once again awoken to be present in this life and with those who I share love. Several years ago (3) I had a cancer scare. Faced with the great potential for early death life became more precious to me. Yesterday lost a lot of it's hold on me and tomorrow wasn't taken for granted so much anymore. Then just a few short months ago (February 16, 2015) the same wood that is burning in the stove took me to the point of a heart attack. After a double bypass and recovery ongoing my thankfulness for waking yet again is magnified alone with the awareness of how short life can really be. Sudden misfortune strikes in many people's lives. Growing old is not a privilege or a right. Growing old is an act of grace by a loving God. I'm thankful He feels my presence here on earth is important. Ah, the coffee! I'm addicted but not to the caffeine. I'm addicted to the experience. Cold morning, crisp air, quiet place, and of course the fire. That first cup of coffee and that first sip is like never having had one before. Some of you are reaching for your coffee even as you read!
Rather than seeing the fire as my tormentor by having to cut, split, stack, wait for it to cure, and then haul it into the house to burn; I see the fire as my quiet companion reflecting the fire of life that God bestows upon each of us. There is a "future" anticipation when I bring in the wood. There is a "future" anticipation when I stoke the fire. There is the bursting into flame that signifies a change in the continuum. The fire that burns within me is there as well. My last thoughts at night and first thoughts in the morning should be about the fire the Holy Spirit has kindled within me and is fanning into flames as I surrender to his will. The fire should not go out. Though I've been disappointed with some of the struggles of life I have gone through, I know that (even after the fact) that God was there for me. The fire of the Holy Spirit is my mentor, friend and salvation.
Quiet is so important in this world where we tend to fill every quiet moment with something. Avoiding quiet so that we don't have to listen to the internal; to God, to our soul gains us nothing but denies us everything. There can be and is quiet in the hustle and bustle of life. Whether we take hold of the quiet and enjoy that quiet is another thing. Quiet is so quickly surrendered as the kids get up, the noise starts, the need to be out the door increases and the demands of life draw us away from the quiet. Go is there through it all. We're increasingly unaware of his presence when we are drawn away by life and he cares of this world. Quiet is so powerful if we can only let the quiet be.
The balance between the fire and the quiet is only amplified with the sip of coffee. I take my coffee black. Some put stuff into their coffee and that's okay. That ability to bring the cup to your lips and sip the to hot coffee is denied to many. Whether they don't have access to coffee or just choose to not drink coffee; it's their choice. Orange juice, water or tea work just as well. Just don't let the coffee get cold. Stop your thinking, writing, reading often enough to finish the cup of coffee before you finish the quiet time. The sip is a pause that allows the liquid to pass between our lips onto our tongues and flash taste through out our senses. We can sometimes not get beyond the "sip" of God we experience in front of the fire on a quiet morning with a cup of coffee. He wants to see us, hear us, be with us and for us to take as many "sips" of Him as we want. I think I'll have another cup of coffee. It's still quiet and cold outside and the fires is burning. Thanks God for this morning.
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