How Strong Is Your Fire?

Monday Morning Motivation With Monica Marie Jones

A couple of years ago we took a trip to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. This is the only park in the United States where you can go digging for diamonds and other precious gems. We decided to spend the night outdoors on their camp grounds and of course we couldn’t help but attempt to build a camp fire. We thought that since we were in the wilderness, then surely it wouldn’t be a problem to find wood to build the fire. Unfortunately we were sadly mistaken. Apparently the park staff had cleared out any stray wood in the forest so that you’d be forced to buy firewood from them. So we scurried through the darkness using our cell phones as flashlights and pulled twigs from trees, picked up piles of dry leaves, and gathered trash that had accumulated in the car during our road trip.

Once we gathered up what we thought to be a sufficient amount of fuel for the fire, we lit the fire. In the beginning, it burned big and bright, but it didn’t not last. It just kept fizzling out. A few camp fires later, I learned that there some specific things that need to be in place in order for a fire to burn hot and strong. We just didn’t have the proper ingredients.

When it comes to anything that we do in life, we may start off appearing to be strong, but if we don’t have the necessary elements in place, we will burn out.

The wood is our strength and our foundation. It is what sustains us. In life this includes our faith, a trusted partner, our circle of supporters, a healthy balanced diet and the work and research that we put in to prepare ourselves for whatever it is that we decide to do.

The kindling is that catalyst that gets us started or going until the fire catches to the wood. In life this is our experiences, our lessons, and even our mistakes. They prepare us in order to help us grow and become strong.

The match or spark that sets the wood ablaze is our motivation and once the fire begins to burn, that is our passion for what we do.

And finally, in order for a fire to continue to go strong, it needs oxygen. This is symbolic of our need to take a deep breath, which translates to rest. We must include rest as a mandatory part of the plan for our lives.

This week I challenge you to do an inventory on your life to see if you have all of these components.

How strong is your fire?