This is our normal.

We went camping this weekend.  Yes, it was "cold", but that's a pretty relative term.  The nights were cold but we made it.  The kids slept well.  It'll probably be our last time going out for the year, and we had a good time.

It was just me and James at the campfire for a while on Saturday night.  We both sought the fire out.  Sort of ironic, but yeah, it was cold.  We wanted to build it bigger, higher.  We find ourselves mesmerized by fire, how it just needs fuel and can just go on forever.  We throw things in to watch them burn and we think, "I wonder what the kitchen looked like...."  James slipped away for a minute and I was alone by the fire.  It was captivating, and I couldn't stop watching it.  Suddenly I very clearly heard God ask me if He could speak to me through the fire.  He knew it had caused me great pain but wanted to be a comfort through the flames.  I listened, and the message He had was simple, but astounding: "Fire doesn't seek to destroy, but to persist."

I needed that perspective change.  Fire didn't destroy my life, but it has served to persist in helping us to move forward with hope.  Sure, we're sad and it's not something we'll just get over super soon, but wow, just to persist.  I can do that.  I can persist, in spite of fire.  I can persist, no matter what.