THE OLD IS PAST, THE NEW IS COME

There was much about our old home that I loved, especially the remodeled kitchen, the four-season porch and the deck. The porch and the deck were my spaces for the retreat, meditation, relaxation and general "self-care" in which we clergy are so strongly encouraged to indulge. The porch had windows on three sides, the better to let in the light on short, gloomy winter days. The porch was on the northeast corner so that one could enjoy the cool light in the mornings and avoid the heat in the late afternoons. I read many books and wrote many papers for seminary while sitting on either the porch or the deck.

There were also things about our old home that I didn't like so much. While I was in seminary, the clutter on the lower level got ahead of me, and I never seemed to be able to find the time to redeem the space. Boxes and papers were stacked around the family room, and I often felt overwhelmed when I went downstairs. This occurred rather frequently since our bedroom was on the lower level as well.

Now there has been a fire, and we have lost much that we loved. We have also lost much that we will never miss: the clutter, the unused things we owned that we hadn't gotten around to throwing out or sharing with others, the stacks of papers that I thought were important (some of them were) but had never had the chance to file.

Fire is invasive, destructive, terrifying. Yet, even as it burns away the trees of a forest, it makes new life possible. The fire at our home was invasive, destructive, and terrifying. But we are no longer burdened by the thick vegetation and dead wood of our past. We have received the opportunity to begin a new life in a new home with new furnishings. We have received the hope of a new future in a new place, and we know not what adventures this change will bring.

Likewise with the fire of the Spirit, our lives may be invaded and changed in terrifying ways. But the ultimate outcome is that we are able to leave the dead wood behind and live in ways that are filled with new life, new hope, and new adventures.