Wildfires of Life

“I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from your birth…I made you and will take care of you. I will carry you and save you.”  Isaiah 46:3-4

This past week, the wildfires in Maui have devastated the area of Lahaina.  This beautiful small town on the coast of Maui has been destroyed along with lives lost and the livelihood of those who remain.  Wildfires cannot be predicted.  They just happen with little notice or warning.  High winds prevented helicopters from carrying water from the ocean to help contain the fire.  As I have watched the videos, my heart aches for the people of Lahaina.  It touches my heart so deeply as I remember my recent trip to Maui.  I stood in the place of those fires and remember its beauty.  Now all I see is charred ruins and the fear and heartache of those who have lost everything, even loved ones.

A wildfire is defined as an uncontrolled fire that burns in the wildland vegetation.  It spreads quickly.  I have personally witnessed the destruction of fire when fire destroyed my childhood home when I was fourteen years old.  Fire destroys quickly and without warning.  Fire changes lives, and it consumes what was valued.

Life brings wildfires in many forms.  Some are visible and destroy possessions and nature.  But other wildfires happen within us and within the relationships of our lives.

The wildfire of addiction destroys lives, tears families apart, and takes away trust.  Addiction takes over a person’s life, and the substance is in control.  A person is consumed in the impulsiveness of using and cannot stop the downward spiral.  There is the consuming fire of sin.  A choice is made, and it leads to other choices, and it spins out of control going down a path of wrong and evil.  The consuming fire of unforgiveness makes a person bitter, angry, and controlled by the pain and hurt caused by another person.  This wildfire when not controlled leads to hatred and revenge.  It can also cause isolation from others who do not want to be included in the intense negativity and destructiveness.

Then there is the wildfire of death – unexpected and out of our control.  We have no power over illness or death.  When a loved one dies, we are consumed in the grief.  It devastates our lives and changes everything.  It leaves us empty and trying to pick up the broken pieces of our lives.

Wildfires occur within our hearts and emotions when something unexpected or devastating occurs.  So how do these wildfires get controlled?  Who carries the healing water to quench the fire that causes the pain and hurt?  I believe the healing water comes from God.  God has carried you and me since we were born.  God promises to take care of us and save us.  It does not feel like it when we witness all the wildfires of life that consume and destroy the good of life and the ones we love.

God is good.  God cares.  God is a God of grace and forgiveness.  God created life.  God gives to humanity the freedom of choice.  Because of choice, there is evil and brokenness in nature and in people.  We have choices, and we are affected by the choices and consequences of other people’s decisions.

I cannot explain why the wildfires happened in Maui or in your life.  I know God was with me in our house fire – protecting my family.  I learned from that experience that possessions are replaceable and are just stuff.  Relationships are more important than any material object.

Wildfires are going to happen to the land and to our hearts.  It is inevitable.  We can blame God.  We will never get an explanation and justify the destruction or loss.  It will never make sense.  We will never understand the “why” of it.  So, I am still believing God is in control.  I am believing God is with me through the wildfires.  That God never leaves me and still cares about me.  That God holds me when I cry.  I am not denying the evil and brokenness of the world, I am just choosing to hold closely to the One who cares for me through the storms and wildfires of life.

Pray for Maui!