What is it like for God to kindle His flame of passion in my heart? What is it like for Him to erase frustration and replace it with awe and confidence?
The inspiration for heart-living is something that happens repeatedly, when I hardly expect it – when I am not scratching and clawing, but just waiting for the sun to rise, trusting all the while that it will. God allows a new beginning, and my heart comes alive again – perhaps after retreating into some dark spot to rest. hide, wonder, plan the next step, or simply feel.
My heart awakenings are like an internal sunrise that surprises a snowy landscape where all is hushed and quiet and dark…and then the first rays of hope spread a gray light over the hills and the valleys and plains. Nothing is exempt. The sky becomes streaked with giant strokes of muddy lavender followed by a peach glow…and desire cries out, “Let there be more of this light!” Finally, God’s own glow touches the dark chill with warm fingers, not necessarily to reverse it, but to expose it…and thus verify what is true.
Sparkles of snow reflect the new dawn like fiery prisms, cutting away the last of the darkness. What is true? Light has come into the world, even into my heart, the light that chases away all that is dark – confusion, fear, pointless pursuit. It isn’t necessary to grope any longer. Why? The Comforter, Jesus Himself in the form of the Holy Spirit, represents the One True God who is alive and working in my own small heart. He is the dawn, the Son who makes sense out of the darkness in my life.
Each time God rekindles my awareness of His flame, just as He did today, I begin to live all over again with new expectation. The night has gone; the day has come.
This is what Christmas is all about. With Jesus, life is a series of new beginnings. Without Him, we never experience the inner dawn.
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