Saturday morning my family and I awoke feeling very cold . . . our furnace was out, brrr!   We checked into having it repaired and realized it would be better to replace it entirely.  But the earliest day they could install our new furnace was 6 days out, so that meant we would need to rely on our fireplace to heat our home.

Our temperatures have been in the teens all week, so the fireplace has been getting a workout!  How thankful we are that we had plenty of wood ready to burn.  The only problem, the fireplace needs more wood every 1-2 hours . . . that means waking up throughout the night and staying close to home throughout the day time to stock it again and again.

How easily we take for granted that which we do not have to tend.  I did not give much thought to my furnace when it was working properly.  My home was warm, I was glad.  But I surely have not taken my fireplace for granted this week!   How much more aware I am of its comforting warmth.  How much attention I have given to making sure it is burning bright.

It got me thinking about how different my days are when I stay aware of my Provider.  Some days are slippery and I take for granted all of the fingerprints of God on my life.  But how rich are the days when I am aware of the ways He cares for me, and the paths He creates for me, and the signs of His love for me.  He is always the same, but when I tend to my heart toward Him, I am so much less likely to take His blessings and His presence for granted.

Whatever this day may look like for you, whatever this day may look like for me . . . let us keep “putting wood in the fire” . . . let us keep our hearts and minds facing the Lord, that we may be warmed by His love and care for us today.

I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”  Psalm 16:2

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  Colossians 4:2