Singed by the Fire

These past few weeks, we all have been watching the fires in California, especially those of us who live here. The fires have been too close to home, literally.  A staff member’s brother lost his home and everything in it this past week.  Thankfully, the family was on vacation elsewhere, so no one was harmed.  Except for the cat.

Happily, their precious pet was saved from the fire. It’s actually a bit of a miracle how the cat made it through and has been reunited with the family.  But the little animal has burns on its paws, and the retinas are damaged from the brightness of the fire.

When you’re singed in a fire, the pain is immediate and sharp. It’s a warning that something went wrong, that boundaries were crossed, or something was beyond your control. But even after the initial shock, the damage can remain: a scar, a mark that doesn’t fade easily, reminding you of the moment of pain.

Being burned can mirror those moments in life where you go through intense experiences—whether it’s a difficult loss, a betrayal, a failure, or even a series of small, unnoticed struggles that slowly wear you down. Sometimes, it feels as if you’re being tested by fire, forced to endure the heat of the moment, and wondering if you’ll ever come out whole again.

Yet, just as a burn can leave a scar but also a story of survival, the metaphorical burns we experience shape us, too. They become part of our story, reminding us of our strength, resilience, and ability to heal. We may be singed in life, but it doesn’t mean we’re destroyed.

In fact, the process of healing from being singed can teach us something deeply meaningful: how to handle the heat of life with more grace, how to be more cautious around things that could hurt us, and how to grow stronger, knowing that even scars can be signs of strength and transformation.

In a way, being singed by the fire becomes an invitation to rebuild—not just physically, but mentally and spiritually. It encourages us to learn from our pain, make wiser choices, and remember that the fire, while it may cause discomfort, also offers an opportunity for growth.

We were never meant to endure sin and the damaging, destructive effects of living in a sinful world. But God, in His infinite wisdom, carries us through those fires and, if we let Him, uses the burning embers to shape and refine our character. He wishes, more than anything, to help us heal, restore, and rise from the flames victorious in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 1:6-7: 
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”