We live on a rural property that constantly needs attention. Things grow faster than we can take care of them, so in our few and far-between hours of leisure my husband goes out to cut up fallen brush and piles it to burn.
There's one spot that has quite a large pile (it was started already before we arrived), and last year Robert tried to reduce it by burning.
The fire began with some difficulty due to the rain in the days prior, however once that blaze took hold it burned with a fierce intensity. That pile of brush and scrub, diseased wood, leaves and dead weeds burned for three days. Fortunately the pile was surrounded by a swampy area so there wasn't any danger of the fire spreading. Three days of flame - smaller and greater as the different types of debris burned.
You'd think after three days there would only be ash - however a large pile still stood. Then it rained again. That pile smoked for three weeks after the flames were doused. It was still hot. We believed there were hollow logs still smoldering amongst the pile. Finally the pile cooled, and there was no more smoke.
Quite a bit had burned, leaving heaps of ash.
Later in the spring, plants began to sprout from the ash. Those plants - we didn't know what type - continued to grow till they covered what what left of the debris pile.
The stalks grew thicker than my wrist and the feathery leaves were two or three feet across. Bright red berries appeared and the birds were ecstatic with their new food source. We hadn't planted anything in the ash, yet something beautiful and useful grew from the debris we burned.
How does this connect to encouragement?
At times in our marriage we have collected emotional brush piles.
Those piles separate us from our spouse. There are disappointments, unresolved disagreements, and hurtful words in those piles. There are unsupported dreams, unknown desires and ignored advice in those brush piles. Nothing there is useful - the pile itself is debris.
My suggestion is to burn it.
But how?
Bring everything to the Lord in prayer and let His power consume that emotional brush pile till nothing is left. Except maybe ash, so something good and useful can grow.
Uplift with persistent prayer - Encourage both your spouse and yourself.
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