The Refiner's Fire

We just returned from being evacuated due to the fires here in Florida..or as our six year old son put it..."we need to evaporate, hurry!"....the fire trucks and police came through telling everyone to leave immediately and the fires had reached the backs of houses on our street....We quickly gathered a few things and fled...Thankfully we had somewhere to go and we were allowed back into our neighborhood a few days later and I thank God that our homes were safe and I feel for all the families south of us that lost their homes and I can't imagine how devastating that must be for them and how they must feel...I am feeling so very grateful for our safety and that we still had a place to come home to and everything was in tact....
In life we experience fire with our circumstances whether it be through "natural causes or arsenists" the results can be equally damaging but how we react to this is the only thing we have control over...Fire is a cleanser, a destroyer, and while it is painful and wreaks havoc on everything in its path, what comes afterward is new growth, fresh greenery and changed perspectives...I would like to take this opportunity as such and cleanse my thoughts, hence, my actions, and cut out the things that are unhealthy, unneccessary and stressful...and remember that mercy and grace is new every morning and I should also give that to myself and others...Fresh starts are difficult but what we can learn from them is that we can create new beauty in our lives and broaden our horizons as a result...I hope and pray for all those that no longer have a home to return to and I wish for them that their communities will open their arms and create a safe haven for them to re-build their homes and their lives...