Fire

I was reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 this weekend, and it said that salt was refined in fire. My response, fire? Really? But then I got to thinking...anything I truly enjoy has gone through fire in one way or another. Think about it...

Almost all yummy food has to endure a flame of some sort.

The most beautiful jewelry has been formed within the fire.

Glass is created through fire and sand.

Even the most amazing books have endured the trial by fire as suffered by the author.

And now salt, the most flavorful of all spices, required in all cooking, sweet or savory, it turns out is tested by fire.

So why then not me? Why is it my instinct to run from fire? Why do I fear the trials so?

Although the fire is essential for creation, it doesn't make it gentle and tender. Some flames are, but very rarely will anything suffer fire without being burned or scarred in some way. But the end result is far more beautiful and flavorful than what went in. There's nothing appetizing about raw meat, but once exposed to the flame, nothing look so good as a char-broiled burger.

Thus my goal this week is to look at the fire burning around me (as Shad, Rack and Benny did in Old Testament days), and realize that I will come out more refined and more flavorful than how I went in.