What happens when you get too close to the fire?

When I went to Nicaragua last summer on a mission trip with my granddaughters, my hair was near its worst. In that overabundance of humidity, I looked like a shaggy mutt with uncontrollable locks. That’s me. Wild, crazy, wavy hair. I plan to go back to Nicaragua in January 2016 and speak. I have tried to let my hair grow out so I can pull it back from my face. Hopefully, the people will see that I’m civilized. 🙂

Last Friday, my in-laws drove up from East Texas to Oklahoma to visit us. My amazing, 91-year-old father-in-law drove the whole 7 hour trip! On Saturday we had a family, hot dog cook-out on our acreage in Guthrie. We arranged old red bricks in a big circle and lit the fire. Before it got hot, I bent forward to straighten a falling brick. Swoosh… the fire blew toward me and pushed me back. I felt hot air and heard a sizzle. I smelled the stink of burning hair. The front of my hair and the right side were frazzled like a really bad permanent (or worse). I thought the hair would fall out.

I was scheduled to speak at church the next morning to about 40 women, our Blended Blessings class. I have not taught there in several years and they asked me to speak on perseverance. I asked my mother-in-law if I should tell my “fire” story at the beginning or the end. She said, “It depends on how bad you look in the morning.”

I researched “burnt hair” on google, and found that coconut or olive oil would help. I poured a half cup of warm olive oil on my hair and worked it through. Just in case you have something this crazy happen to your hair, I had amazing results! I could comb it. (I did get a hair cut on Monday.)

Perseverance means to keep on, not give up, have patience in trials, stick it out, continue, persist, and not lose faith. So here I am with one more small example of “taking a difficult situation in stride.” Did I find joy? Well, at least my face was not burnt. It could have been much worse.

James 1:2 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I shared some of my trials with the ladies: loneliness, divorce, single mom, death, illness, etc. Those ladies are wonderful and I could relate to them. My hair, though back to its craziness because I could not blow dry it, was passable. 

Trials are like that fire. Sometimes they come in a swoosh, very sudden. You might get your hair singed, or you might get hurt real bad. Other times, you might linger too long near the fire and get burnt on the backside. You can’t easily wash off the smell of smoke.

Remember that God promises to help us through the fire. He stands beside us like my husband was standing beside me when the logs burst into flame and rushed toward me. Trust God. He loves you.

You are loved,
Kathryn