Stoke the Fire

May I have your permission to just be real? I feel stuck. Numb. Disconnected. I have tried to get friends together to pray. Last time no one showed up. I have even tried to find opportunities to help other ministries serve the community. No response.

Last week I was on fire. Now I’m not. Why?

As I sit here reflecting and asking the Lord what is going on with me, I can tell you so many different possible reasons why I feel like this. None of that matters. I am disconnected. I have even struggled to start writing this, feeling like no one will read it. I have tried to reconnect to some folks, but no one seems to have time or be willing to reach back. Here is the part where I get real….are we allowing our current situation to dictate our connection? I know we cannot all physically connect, but why not virtually, or through messages? Is this you?

Last week I was on fire. I let the fire go out.

In order for a fire to continue burning, you need to stoke the fire. What does that mean? You move the wood around, poke it, feed it. Make sure it has enough oxygen to burn. Part of what stokes my fire is you. I need connection. Yes, we can feed the fire through prayer and the Bible, but notice the first part of the definition I gave. You move the wood around. I have an image in my mind of being in a box. The fire needs an outlet, something to burn.

I need to stoke my fire. I need you.

Romans 12:4 tells me that we are all made to be connected.

“And in the human body there are many parts and organs, each with a unique function. And so it is in the body of Christ. For though we are many, we’ve all been mingled into one body in Christ. This means that we are all vitally joined to one another, with each contributing to the others. (Rom 12:4,TPT)”

I am like a leg cut off and separated from the body. It cannot move. You may be feeling like an arm, or a finger. If the parts of the body are disconnected, they are no good. We were made to be “vitally joined to one another”. Without connection, the fire goes out.

Sometimes we disconnect on purpose. Trauma, crisis, too much emotion – it is one way we protect ourselves. I have done that many, many times. I have heard some of you say you feel numb. You have disconnected from feeling the traumatic emotions of your life. Your fire is out. This recent pandemic has created a different kind of disconnect. We have been forced to isolate, removing the physical connection. Why has it been so easy for people to continue the disconnect? Where is the connection of the Church?

I know some of you didn’t like that I said that.

If you are feeling disconnected and like your fire has gone out, it’s not enough to reach out to someone. They need to respond. Are we doing that? How can we better support each other? We have to connect. We have to be the body, not just a leg.

We need to stoke the fire.

What do you need to do to stoke the fire? Are you reading this and saying, she could have called me? I know. Families in Recovery has a wonderful support group. I know I can call them anytime. There is a meaning behind this message. We are stuck in disconnect unless we do something. If that leg or arm is left alone, cut off from the body, it will eventually die.

Unattended fires go out.

It is vitally important that we make the time to connect in meaningful ways. Don’t assume that people are fine without you. They might not be.