Wildfires
When I was a little girl, God put a dream on my heart to reach the people of Bolivia with the Gospel. Last summer, after 8+ years of prayer, I finally stepped foot onto Bolivian soil for the very 1st time.
I spent 3 beautiful months in that country loving on the sweetest of kiddos. I haven't been the same since.
Soon I'll be committing to a longer term and there is overwhelming excitement! However, there is also a tinge of sadness. There are people here in the States that I love dearly that l'll be leaving behind - my family, my friends, my wonderful church, my coworkers, and the love of my life. The closer I get to that final takeoff, the more it starts to dawn on me how much I'm going to miss them. And I cry. And there's a fleeting moment of, "I don't know if I can do this, Jesus."
Today was as such. I was reminded of dreams I had to watch die and it shattered me all over again. It has been one of the hardest seasons I've had to walk through.
But a very wise person once told me that our trials are like wildfires. At first, it tears through and it appears as though everything is lost. Then, out of nowhere, new growth appears. Green leaves shoot up from the ground where there were once ashes - new growth that wouldn't have come had it not been for the wildfire.
The same happens in our lives. The wildfires of life come in and they destroy everything we hold dear, leaving nothing but ashes behind. We grieve. We wrestle with the whys. Then somehow, the miraculous occurs: new growth. Where there were once ashes there is now vibrant life - life that would not be there if it weren't for the hardships we faced.
Friend, there will be moments in your life when you are walking in obedience to the Lord and you are grieving over the ashes of the life you thought would be. There will be moments you watch dreams die in the wildfires of life. While this sounds bleak, there is Hope. Jesus is Life, and He came to give us life more abundantly - and no matter how devastating the damage, He can bring new growth.
Tonight, God reminded me of this quote as I looked back on these memories:
“Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ‘ashes.’”
