{"id":138,"date":"2012-05-21T12:40:59","date_gmt":"2012-05-21T12:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onfire\/?p=138"},"modified":"2012-05-21T12:40:59","modified_gmt":"2012-05-21T12:40:59","slug":"check-yourself-do-you-really-want-to-be-on-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onfire\/2012\/05\/21\/check-yourself-do-you-really-want-to-be-on-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Check yourself–do you really want to be on fire?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In my armed chair at my computer to write. I go inward seeking a flame\u2026smoldering embers\u2026 a spark at least. Words to keep your heart and mine burning.<\/p>\n

My blog title is On Fire: finding your gift and using it!<\/em><\/p>\n

[ Sigh ]<\/p>\n

Do I really want to be on fire?<\/em> Do you?<\/p>\n

The natural, set point of my heart is\u2026cool.<\/p>\n

I seek:<\/p>\n

Steady-state<\/p>\n

Comfort<\/p>\n

Reasonableness<\/p>\n

Safety.<\/p>\n

On fire<\/em> sounds:<\/p>\n

Out of control<\/p>\n

Unreasonable<\/p>\n

Unpredictable<\/p>\n

Dangerous…difficult.<\/p>\n

A choice is before us:<\/p>\n

–preserve our possessions\u2014the condo, Lexus SC 430 and Super Air Nautique 230;<\/p>\n

–rehearse our accomplishments\u2014the MBA, our daughter\u2019s graduation and our promotion to Director;<\/p>\n

–relish familiar pleasures\u2014sushi night at the bar, Netflix, and the once-yearly sale at Nordstrom\u2019s;<\/p>\n

or<\/p>\n

enter the fray.<\/p>\n

Finding your gifts and using them<\/em> means to ask:<\/p>\n

God, who have you made me to be?<\/em><\/p>\n

Where is the action? Where is the mending, reconstructing, healing going on? Mogadishu? Chiang Mai? Rochester?<\/em><\/p>\n

My kitchen table?<\/em><\/p>\n

Are you calling me? To what and where? What have you prepared me to do?
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the risk, the cost? <\/em><\/p>\n

Dear reader, are you going forward with me? If so, I must first admonish you to check yourself:<\/p>\n

–You may be done with the quest for \u201cthe good life.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Done being sold a cheap bill of goods. Trivial pursuits. So much less than what you were born for.<\/p>\n

–You may yearn to spend yourself on something worthwhile\u2014a cause matching your potential.<\/p>\n

–But I\u2019m warning you–you are placing yourself dangerously near the flame.<\/strong><\/p>\n

God\u2019s heart burns with Love for men, women, and children everywhere.<\/strong> Every child soldier, sex slave, suicide bomber, Wall Street analyzer, and tortilla-making grandmother. Every Ukrainian farmer, hookah smoker, smart phone user and Chinese dissenter. Every church goer and non.<\/p>\n

When you get close enough to see the gaping distance between what God wills and the reality of what people actually experience, your heart will break.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0God\u2019s Love will sear you\u2026change you\u2026call you out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You will join the fight.<\/p>\n

Then you, too, will flame.<\/p>\n

– – – – –<\/p>\n

\u2026for our God is a consuming fire.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Hebrews 12:29 NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n

– – – – –<\/p>\n

photo credit: Velo Steve<\/a> (creative commons)<\/p>\n

– – – – –<\/p>\n

Dear Reader: this is a new Beliefnet blog. I need your help to make it a success! Would you subscribe (see bar above on the right) plus forward this post to a friend who may enjoy it? Also, I appreciate your comments.\u00a0 Thank you,\u00a0 Gloria<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Gloria@gloriarose.com<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

@gloriabethrose<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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The natural,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":493,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[86,84,87,85,41],"class_list":["post-138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-calling","tag-call","tag-fire","tag-flame","tag-gods-love","tag-heart"],"yoast_head":"\nCheck yourself-do you really want to be on fire? - On Fire: Finding Your Gift And Using It<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onfire\/2012\/05\/21\/check-yourself-do-you-really-want-to-be-on-fire\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Check yourself-do you really want to be on fire? - On Fire: Finding Your Gift And Using It\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In my armed chair at my computer to write. 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