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The Dry Hot Summer of 2015 continues and the number of wildfires raging across the continent is breaking records of previous years. People and property are at risk and the brave men and women fighting the fires, trying to control or contain the awesome force of nature, are working as hard as they can under very difficult conditions. They are seeing firsthand how quickly it spreads out of control, the destructive element, the all-consuming power of nature, racing over the forests and countryside. What is left behind are the charred and blackened remains of what was once green and beautiful, what is left are the ashes of what was once full of life.

The paradox of fire cannot be ignored in times like these. The fire in our sky, our Sun, illuminates our daytime, provides warmth and life. Fire is at the very core of our Earth. We have been a people who gather around the fire in community, for protection from the darkness, for heat and comfort and fellowship. We celebrate and entertain ourselves by lighting off fireworks to see the beauty of different colored lights in the night sky. A flame is said to glow in our hearts when we are experiencing love for another person as well as God. The beautiful nature of fire is just as real as the destructive one.

If fire can be so destructive but illuminate our lives we begin to understand that out of pain and suffering we can see goodness, we can experience God. These contrasting ideas of Fire, both terrifying and electric, can give us moment to pause. They allow us to reflect on difficulties that come before us and we learn how to react.

Fire destroys and causes much pain for those who are taken by surprise through no fault of their own, but without it we would not be able to survive. We should know that what rages destructively in our lives will eventually bring us new life. We will smell the smoke, see the flame and know that there is a force out of control. There may be those fighting the fire for us, or it might be time to evacuate. Regardless, out of the ashes there will be new possibilities, hope and healing for us all.

Written By: Kellie Warnock