“My heart is on fire…”

Cute, but what in the world does that mean? Well simply put it just means that whatever you are so sold out to, or love, is what you are on fire for. Here’s another statement I have heard that falls into the aftermath of that statement… “whatever makes you happy, man.”  

But there is a glitch in that second statement, and it is best brought to light by this other old statement. “There are ALWAYS two sides of any coin.”

Let me use a campfire to illustrate. When you first prepare the logs for your fire, you place them in a predictable pattern. You set them up so that they burn correctly and will keep burning for a long time. Then you light the fire and experience that happy thought that comes from being able to get the job done.  That initial burst of blaze produces a happy thought. “I did it!” But then, and as it should be, that initial blaze dies out as the really large logs catch and, your campfire has arrived. That’s when you realize that it will only go out now if you deliberately put it out Now if you are like me, you’ll want to throw that used paper plate into the fire and when you do, you once again experience that fun-filled happy blaze again. But it is that long lasting bed of hot coals created by the slow burning off of those large logs that really fills your need for enjoying your campfire.

Our happinesses and our joys can be explained using the campfire analogy. Things that make us happy come from happenings. Things that occur very often, or even regularly, that make us happy to be there at that time. Those things are like that short lived initial blaze in our campfire. They will die out. Additionally, those happiness things are usually temporary. But our joy, is like those hot coals in your campfire. They provide not just happiness, but long-lasting warmth, trust, love, and friendships that won’t burn out quickly or at all. Joy comes from living with, and giving into solid, life enhancing relationships that endure the test of time. My heart is on fire for my Lord and Savior Jesus, God’s only Son, and His Word. And it is because of that, that I can totally enjoy the joy of life in all things. Oh, and yes, I love the things that make me happy also, but I don’t count on them…. nuff said