Pyro Worship

The fireplace has become the family altar at our house. Rahab (the cat) and I like to lie prostrate before it and bask in its warmth, Andrea likes to prepare marshmallow burnt offerings, and Bekah likes to throw things in it. So when Bekah is around the fire, Rahab makes herself scarce . . . just in case.

Fortunately we have a hearth rug in front of our fireplace and fortunately the hearth rug is non-flammable. During one of my meditative “worship” sessions in front of the blazing altar I smelled a peculiar aroma and quickly came out of my trance to take immediate action to extinguish the potential inferno. Really, it was nowhere NEAR that dramatic; the hot coal that popped out of the fire place only did minimal damage to the hearth rug. How ridiculous – dangerous and stupid also come to mind – I would have been if I had ignored it or fanned the hot ember and encouraged it to burn with greater intensity.

Metaphorically speaking, how many hot embers do we come in contact with on a regular basis in our lives? Not the embers from the fireplace, but the hot potatoes other people throw our way. When we encounter a potential contentious situation, we can either douse the potential fire or fan it to flames. We can either be a calming influence or a catalyst to catastrophe. We can either be a pyromaniac or a peacemaker. Consider what God’s Word says:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. – Matthew 5:9

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. – Romans 12:18-19

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. – Romans 14:19

But the fruit of the Spirit is … peace… - Galatians 5:22

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. – Hebrews 12:14

When you encounter some potentially flammable situations, think of the advice given to every child by our faithful firefighters: stop, drop, and roll.

Stop – when you hear criticism and complaint, become the stopping point. Refuse to spread the complaint. You choose whether or not you will pass the torch . . . let it stop with you.

Drop – encourage the person it let go of the situation. Most things that get us in a snit are really not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things unless we continue to massage them. Then they can grow bigger than life itself.

Roll – We have a God who cares about how we feel and what troubles us. 1 Peter 5:8 encourages us to roll all of our hurts off onto Him and stop carrying them ourselves. The load is lighter when handed to someone more equipped to carry it.

The choice is yours. Will you be a peacemaker or a pyromaniac? Stoke the fire or extinguish it?