Refining Fire

There is some kind of special joy when we burn the brush pile at home. There is something cleansing about burning the mess and ending up with a pile of ashes. Did you know you can use them to grow new things? It’s true both literally and spiritually.

There are multiple contemporary worship songs about rising from the ashes. There are books and reflective devotions. It is a well-known concept to many, but have you experienced it?

Rising from the ashes of a burnt down situation is no joke. It isn’t pretty like a worship song and it isn’t fast. Healing from any trauma takes time. It takes work and commitment. Some do it privately, without accolade or engagement. For others, it takes an entire team to bring them along.

Regardless of how it happens, there is something to be said for coming through a fire and realizing you have arrived on the other side. Understanding that recovering is the only option is an overwhelming blessing.

So why does no one talk about this part?

Who wants to scream from the mountains “I have arrived!”  Maybe not being finished with the journey, but arriving in a good place. Being two steps forward and one back, instead of the other way around. It is minimal progress, but it IS progress.

When we realize we are healing, there is much to celebrate.

Healing from grief in any form takes strength. We mostly flounder around at first, unsure of our footing. Small things begin to take place. One day we feel more joy than sorrow. Then we find we are laughing as much as we are crying. A certain balance begins to shift within us, as we start to shake off the ashes and rise to a new place of living and understanding.

Shaking off those ashes does not mean we forget where we came from, or those we have lost. It doesn’t mean we won’t have sadness or have to deal with our emotions. It simply means we are finding a way to live despite those circumstances. It proves there is redemption in every situation.

Jesus didn’t go to the cross after a very short, impactful ministry only to be proven wrong. He promised full and complete healing to us. Some of that healing comes through our soul connection with him via the Holy Spirit. When we allow ourselves to be guided through our grief we eventually come out the other side. We come out changed, stronger, more able to love unconditionally. We still struggle, but we have hope again. Hope leads to faith, faith to unconditional love. We realize we have been carried.

Not everyone’s journey in grief is the same. For some, there is a large burden lifted when someone leaves this world. For others, there is no rhyme or reason to a senseless accident. Still, others have put off acknowledging their grief.  But for all the promise remains the same. Healing, redemption and to be carried through. There is no gift greater than these promises.

XOXO,