Easy Access Fire

Daily Gratitude Year 5- Day 108: Today, I am grateful for fire at the twist of a knob. 

I can't imagine living in a time where fire was not available at the strike of a match or the twist of the knob on a stove. Women had to watch the children, crush the grain for bread, gather roots and herbs for the meal, care for the elderly and tend the fire in many cultures. 

The men would hunt, fish and do some farming.  Is it any wonder that it really is more in the nature of women than men when it comes to multitasking? That is not a criticism... that is just a history lesson. 
Thousands of years of culture upon culture promote women balancing many tasks. Men would mostly work hard at one task to completion. We are programed differently. 

Somedays, the plate feels pretty full and even overwhelming. But, no matter how busy the day, I can step up to the old Magic Chef and have fire or an oven at the simple twist of a knob. How blessed I am! 

I can spend the day away and still have fire.
I can get distracted and still have fire.
I can leave for days... return... and make a meal in a few minutes.

Fire has always been necessary for life as we know it. It has not always been at our fingertips. Keeping the fire was hard work, required dedication took a sincere commitment. Without fire, life was in danger. Those who fans of the show "Survivor" have a modern glimpse at the importance of fire. 

Fire is not always safe, but has such value when harnessed for good. 

I am grateful for my easy access to food for cooking, heating water and warmth. We have an old fashioned wood fireplace. Now that is not a twist of the knob, it requires work and tending if we are to enjoy it for the entire evening. Still, nothing smells quite like it. We know when the neighbors are having a fire for the scent fills the air in the neighborhood. The snap, crackle and pop is as magical as the smell. 

It won't be long and our Blake... a child of my heart and not of my womb ... will be asking of "we're going to have fire on Friday night.  Our families have shared Friday nights for more than 26 years. The tradition continues. Fires and s'mores... and friends who are family. I married the best marshmallow toaster around. I tend to light my marshmallows on fire and end up eating them one crispy layer at a time. Now, I'm getting excited, too. 

What is there about watching a fire that is so mesmerizing?  Soon, Blake, very soon. 

That makes me think of God using fire on different occasions for different reasons. 
God spoke through the burning bush to  Moses.

He rained fire in judgment over Sodom and Gomorrah. 

He protected Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from burning in the fiery furnace, breaking the laws and humbling King Nebuchadnezzar.  

It made me think of this verse from Hebrews:

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire -Hebrews 12:28-29

Our God is a consuming fire. At least, he wants to be. Warming us, keeping our attention, protecting us and never letting us forget the power of His hand. He is... indeed... God. 

Today, I am grateful for fire... whether it arrives at the twist of a knob, the strike of a match or at the wave of a heavenly hand.