Fan the Flame

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Tim. 1:6

Filipinos are experts on this.

A lot of us used or uses firewood for cooking. Firewood coming from fallen branches and twigs from the backyard of your own or from the yard of your neighbors. Firewood coming from trees which were pruned or cut to expose the house from the street. So, we have a natural no-cost fuel for cooking, which is by the way can be harmful to the environment. But it takes effort to cook using firewood. You have to blow it. That's the tube is for. However, this approach will give you a dizzy head. So, our friendly fan comes in. To make or to keep the flame burning, you have to fan it. You have to stroke your hand holding the fan up and down, left and right for the flame to cook your meal. There is a certain time the flame would die down and your hand automatically finds the fan. Once again, you fan the flame.

Does Paul has Filipino blood lines in his veins? He instructs Timothy to do this.

He instructs us to do this. He knows you need to fan the flame in you. The flame of God in you doesn't die down by itself, but it is decreased by your human nature or wrong turn of events in your life. You get tired. You don't have patience. You clamor into relationship problems. You get exit papers from the manager's office. Or you come to the job daily of which you are not happy after all.  Or you might be young and it seems the race is too long to run. Or you might be old and it seems you have wasted too much time ignoring the Lord. The fact that your career is not going upward but down can minimize the flame in you. These can make you dizzy and harm your personal and spiritual environment.

Three words of advice. Fan the flame.

• Pray daily. Spend a good amount of time with Jesus (15 minutes to start).
• Read God's word daily. Reflect on the daily mass readings.
• Find support and give support. Be in touch with fellow followers.
• Participate in the life of the church. Your presence is appreciated in any church event.
• Tell someone about Jesus and his love by your words and actions. Love them like Jesus. Speak with them like Jesus.

Don't be raw or medium cooked. Be fully alive through the fire of God's Spirit. Fan the flame!