Fan Into Flame
Wes Wick
4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Timothy 1:4-6
These words penned by Paul to Timothy reflect such two-way depth in their relationship. It’s not just Paul the Elder pouring his life into the younger Timothy. Timothy, who also benefited greatly from his God-honoring mother and grandmother, is a source of joy in Paul’s life.
We love Paul’s reminder to “fan into flame the gift of God.”
Living in a forest, we rely on our wood-burning fireplace insert as our primary heat source. With no gas or propane connected, we ignite crumpled paper and kindling to get the fire started.
Once inflamed, we add logs to keep the fire going for up to weeks at a time. When the flames subside, we search for embers we can fan into flame. In our home these embers are treasures...so much better than starting over.
In life’s later stages we need to value our embers/gifts and pair them with a fresh Holy Spirit wind that fans our gifts into flame. In this passage Paul’s life was about to be extinguished, but hot embers would continue to be fanned into flame by Timothy and others.
Embers don’t remain embers forever. They can grow cold and die out, or they can be fanned into flame. Here we are, a couple thousand years later, still fanning these embers into flame.
Life’s second half is not an ember-only life stage, passively awaiting life’s final flicker. We may experience challenges that suggest our raging-fire days are over. But with open hearts, get ready for those embers to once again burst into flame. God may use our prayers, His Word, serving opportunities, relationships---even our trials---to fan our embers.
And, as we’re reminded in this month’s Easter celebration...it’s Friday but Sunday is a-comin’.