May 1, 2020.
Yes, I have a fire in the fireplace this morning. Yes, that is odd for May 1. But lots of things have been odd for several weeks now. Mostly, though, our lives have been relatively the same. We live in the country. We already homeschool. It feels more like everyone else’s lives have changed and so some of our plans have been altered.
For myself, I have not done more “thinking about life’s tenuous nature,” than normal. By nature, I am a thinker. An explorer of my own mind and the human condition. I journal to clear my head, to pray concisely, and to plan. Writing is my “go to,” for solutions. I don’t always come up with answers – but I feel better for having tried.
So. May. Speaking of fire. I have a lot of “irons,” in mine right now. Just as the ban on gathering began I made the decision to open a “gathering” business. I rented a 4000 sq ft space and began to remodel and furnish it to open an event venue. More details coming soon – but this is the kind of craziness that happens when you write, and think, and plan. It doesn’t always make sense on the front end – but here’s hoping that the paradox will turn out alright. People will not stay huddled in their homes forever… I hope.
The changes have had me thinking about the clarity that comes with age. It is always startling to me. You wonder why you never saw it before. What blindness keeps us from seeing things, that at this moment, become plain as day? Maturity makes a difference. Humility is a big one – we always think we know better – but we usually don’t. We don’t ask for help. We don’t take good advice that is offered. We fail to account for our blind spots. We are not teachable. I hope, that at 58, I am learning to be teachable, and humble, and willing to listen. But maybe one of the biggest lessons I am learning is to LET GO.
Driving down the road listening to the radio I thought through the lyrics of a popular song right now. It struck me how appropriate to this stage in my life. Looking up the back story was enlightening, also. So, here in the month of May – as I sit before the fire and I begin a new adventure – I am also naming a few things that I will leave behind. Chip Ingram always talks about faith as a “No – Yes,” proposition. We say “No,” to one thing, so we can say “Yes,” to something else. This is true in all of life. We must let go of one thing to grasp another. And some days, we must “Burn the Ship.”
How did we get here? All castaway on a lonely shore I can see in your eyes, dear It's hard to take for a moment more
We've got to
Burn the ships, cut the ties Send a flare into the night Say a prayer, turn the tide Dry your tears and wave goodbye
Step into a new day We can rise up from the dust and walk away We can dance upon our heartache, yeah So light a match, leave the past, burn the ships And don't you look back
Don't let it arrest you This fear is fear of fallin' again And if you need a refuge I will be right here until the end Oh, it's time to
Burn the ships, cut the ties Send a flare into the night Say a prayer, turn the tide Dry your tears and wave goodbye
Step into a new day We can rise up from the dust and walk away We can dance upon our heartache, yeah So light a match, leave the past, burn the ships And don't you look back
So long to shame, walk through the sorrow Out of the fire into tomorrow
So flush the pills, face the fear Feel the wave disappear We're comin' clear, we're born again Our hopeful lungs can breathe again Oh, we can breathe again
Step into a new day We can rise up from the dust and walk away We can dance upon our heartache, yeah So light a match, leave the past, burn the ships
And step into a new day We can rise up from the dust and walk away We can dance upon our heartache, yeah So light a match, leave the past, burn the ships And don't you look back
And don't you look back And don't you look back
BURN THE SHIPS
By “for King and Country”
In 1519 Hernando Cortez burned his ships in order to motivate his men to be committed to their mission of conquering the new world that lay before them. It was a drastic measure. The mental gymnastics it takes to change our lives when there are no “actual ships to burn,” are monumental. Each of us intuitively know some of the changes we need to make – but we can’t see clearly the benefits, or we refuse to acknowledge the damage being done to us until we make the changes.
May is my month to burn some ships. I love the adventures that are on my horizon. But I also know that I have some things to leave behind. It will cost me. But the rewards are substantial. I am committed to the mission before me. It is my faith. It is my family. It is the honor of being a woman fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of a Creator God who loved us and gave His life for us. Psalm 84:11 says “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” God is a sun (a fire) and a shield (protection). His purifying fire will clear a path through my heart for more of Him. I am counting on this.
Beside the Flames,
