THE BURNING HOUSE

“Take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” – James 1:19-20

Perhaps it was the unusual stillness that caused the sight to hit me with such shocking impact that morning. I was so stunned that I stopped in my tracks quickly while my hand involuntarily raised to cover my mouth which had fallen open. The house—one of the most beautiful in our neighborhood—had caught fire. There wasn’t much left now. Just a shell of what once was.

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I’d been lazy for the month of December. It was the holiday season, and I was taking full advantage of it. I’d pushed anything that felt like work to the back burner of my life for  31 days of leisure. I milked each day for as much rest as is possible for a mother of two toddlers. I cleared my calendar of anything that I was supposed to do and opted for a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of schedule. Discarded from my normal daily demands were any writing projects, conference calls, ministry meetings, scheduled play dates or anything that might keep me from doing something else I might want to do at a moments notice. My normally scheduled early morning exercise routine and fairly disciplined eating regime was completely discarded. I didn’t walk or jog one block that month and ate everything in sight with pleasure. By the end of December 2007, I was just getting into the swing of a life filled with “nothing”. I must have been enjoying it a little two much because the tightness of my favorite jeans had to slam me back into reality.

January 1st at 6:30am, I bounded out of my bed and threw on some sweatpants in an effort to begin the new year right. I followed my normal jogging path, which winded in and out of my neighborhood’s tree lined streets. It was unusually quiet for a Tuesday morning. The normal chatter of children at the bus stop was missing, and the usual hum of  driverless cars warming up in the driveways of those hoping for a warm ride on their way to the office was silent. In its place, there was a quiet stillness that rested like a thick blanket over the streets. This New Year’s day seemed to bring the community to a stand still. The only thing moving as far as I could see were my own two feet hitting the pavement rhythmically.

I came around the last corner of the most hilly part in my run and that’s when I saw it … the burned house. I lifted my eyes from their normal gaze down at the street and they met immediately with the devastating sight that caused my heart to ache. The beautiful home, which had always been the envy of the neighborhood with its cascading evergreen landscaping and gorgeous wooded front porch, had been destroyed. It was completely burnt and charred and its roofline had collapsed.  One look into the still intact windows revealed an interior that was damaged beyond mere minor repair. The intense searing flames had left this house with unspeakable damage.

I didn’t’ realize I’d been holding my breath for so long. A cloud of smoke escaped from my lips as I finally let out a breath into the cold, wintry air. I couldn’t believe this had happened during my month off. Other than when jogging, I didn’t come back this way. Questions whizzed through my mind more swiftly than I could think to answer them:

I wonder if anyone was here when it happened?

Was anyone hurt?

Did anyone die?

When did this happen?

As I stared in contemplation, tears came to my eyes and stung their corners. For several minutes, I just looked and pondered. Then I noticed a Christmas wreath still hanging on the front door.  I didn’t have many answers to my questions but this I did know for sure:  the fire had burned during what should have been the happiest time of the year for its owners.  While the wreath adorned their front door, the Christmas tree glimmered from the entry window and holiday décor bespoke the happiness of Christmas time.  Faulty wires were creating an electrical nightmare. Unnoticed and unattended, the wires ignited.  A fire brewed, and the house was consumed in minutes. 

In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. – Ephesians 4:26-27

Karen is being consumed. She been my friend for years and I’m watching her go up in flames. You’d never know by looking at her, but her insides burn with faulty wires that are causing immeasurable damage. She’s let the seething flame of anger festered just long enough to spark into a full-blown furnace of bitterness that she just can’t seem to shake. Years ago she’d learned to become a good decorator. She’s always adorned with achievements, successes, activities, and a personal style that will knock your socks off. She’s the envy of all who know her but she’s coming apart at the seams. Behind the décor is a furious flame that is stealing from her exactly what that neighborhood fire ripped from the family who owned the beautiful home: peace, serenity, and any hope of a life of rest in a place like this. All that’s left is a shell of a woman who can’t for the life of her forgive the past and move on to the future (not just externally but deep down on the inside where it counts). This is why the concept of anger is mentioned 327 times in the Scriptures, and when left to fester, is often likened to a fire that devours. It is a crafty vice that surprises its owner with more of a cost than they ever signed up for. When we leave it unchecked, the Enemy recognizes it and seizes the opportunity to stoke the flames that will burn our lives down in a hurry.

How I long for Karen--for all us--to take the wreath off the door; the tree out of the front window, and the smiling façade of happiness out of our manicured front lawns, just long enough to deal with the inner workings of the anger perched in the window of our souls. No doubt somewhere along the way they got crossed, and if we don’t take time to deal with it, it’s only a matter of time before we collapse from the intensity of the heat. Unchecked disappointment and resentment is never stagnant. It builds from day to day.  So we’ve gotta take the time and the risk to forgive and face the issue so that the fire is quelled before it every really begins. Our true internal happiness depends on it.