Burn Baby, Burn

She's just a girl and she's on fire
Hotter than a fantasy, lonely like a highway
She's living in a world and it's on fire
Filled with catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away

Most of you are familiar with the lyrics to the song I just quoted. If not? Allow me to introduce you to the lovely Alicia Keys and her current hit, “This Girl is on Fire”.

Of those of you whom are familiar with the song, maybe you are aware (then again, maybe you’re not?) that the song was written about one Miss Marilyn Monroe.

The imagery is powerful. On fire – she was indeed! “On top of the world”, even… by worldly standards. And yet ultimately, the fire she had – fueled by a harsh, critical, pressure-filled, pain-filled, world – burned out of control. Surpassed her. Consumed her. Took her very life.

It is a bitter-sweet song in that regard. One that lifts your spirit (“…got our head up in the clouds and we’re not coming down”), while simultaneously attaching an anchor to your heart (“…we’ve got our feet on the ground, and we’re burning it down.”) It is weighty in its message and symbolisms.

I found myself mindlessly singing along to this song the other day. You know, one of “those” days… one of Minnesota’s premiere spring days (read: winter died a very slow death). So when the sun decided to make a cameo appearance after several days of perpetual gloom, AND the temp hit the 60’s? I found myself quite literally “walking on sunshine”, happy and singing along with every song on the radio if for no other reason than there was blue sky above and a great ball of fire shining down on me!

As I sang, I began to ponder fire.

A powerful force. Within proper containment, a force that has the capacity to bring much blessing. I could sit beside a bonfire for endless hours and feel a peace and contentment unrivalled! But outside of boundaries? With nothing to contain it? That same fire can devastate. It can literally demolish all living things in its path. Complete and utter destruction.

I recalled reading once, or hearing on the news, of something referred to as a “controlled burn”. A “controlled burn” or “prescribed burn” as it can also be called, is defined as a “technique sometimes used in forest management, farming or prairie restoration… as a tool for hazard reduction. It is conducted during cooler months to reduce toxic buildups and decrease the likelihood of serious (out of control) hotter fires. Controlled burning stimulates the germination of some desirable forest trees , thus ultimately renewing the forest by giving life to its soil.” -Wikipedia

Brilliant, isn’t it?

Here’s why.

Think about your life for a moment. You're walking along. Doing your stuff. Living life. Things are decently on track. Oh yes… There are tough days, interspersed with (hopefully) days of happiness and ease. There are normal life stressors... Work... Relationships... What have you. But in general and overall? Life is good.

And then....

And then out of nowhere, fire.

Almost as though a careless driver, drove thru a dry patch in your life - one you weren't even previously aware existed... And flicked a lit match out their window... Igniting it all.

A tough season. Stress. Turmoil. Relational duress. Emotional strife. Heaviness sets in. You feel a little lost. Punched in the gut (or better yet, in the heart). You can't seem to see "the forest for the trees" (pun intended). “What is going on?” “Why is this happening to me?” “Why now?” “Why this?” ...we question God himself. Even those of us for whom He is not our source and stay on a daily basis seem to run to Him in these moments and shake an angry fist in His direction, or bare minimum launch a “shock and awe” campaign of our wounded questions that are directed ultimately at Him.

But what if?

What if it is all about the stance we take within the fire? What if the very way in which we perceive "the fire", the difficulty, determines whether it is a "controlled burn" vs one that will render you a helpless victim of the flames, emerging with third-degree burns to your life?

It occurred to me that my God, from His unlimited aerial view... From His always redemptive and redeeming stance over our lives...motivated by his love without borders… He issues a "controlled burn" in our lives from time-to-time. For. Our. Own. Good. As in the physical realm... It is His way of protecting us. "Reducing hazards", getting rid of “toxic buildups”. He knows every hair on our heads... Has them numbered even. So of course, He knows better than we do- those dried up, shriveled up, unattended areas of our lives that need to be restored.

And how does He restore? He lights a match, and calls forth a "controlled burn".

Oh yes, Dear Ones. It hurts. But we can either stand within the flames and trust the boundaries He has prescribed around the "burn" in our lives? Or we can freak out, thus adding fuel to the burn, while at the same time knocking down the very boundaries He put in place for our own good. We can rage against His fire? Or participate in it.

Speaking from personal experience let me save you some trouble (and third degree heart burn) and tell you: it is better to stand with Him in the fire, participate in the "controlled burn", than to fight it.

He is good, after all. And someone who cares... LOVES enough, and intimately so, to know the exact number of hairs on our head? He probably also knows the dead, dried up areas of our lives that would better be put to death.

Here’s the thing about Him though: He never puts anything, ever, to death... Without coming to life later. We see this aspect of his heart reflected in all of nature. The very changing of seasons themselves is a constant cycle of life, death, rebirth, and glory!

And so the choice is ours: fight the fire? Or stand in the fire. It's not easy to stand in it, I'm not going to lie. But, with the knowledge that this fire is going to generate "hazard reduction" in my life as a whole... And ultimately "regenerate" the very soil of my heart, my life? I'm going to be brave, cling to my trust in His care and His heart love of me, and stand. And then when the burn is over, and my life is shining with new growth? I'll be able to speak to people of a beauty that arises from the ashes...


"Everybody stands as she goes by
Cause they can see the flame that's in her eyes
Watch her when she's lighting up the night
Nobody knows that she's a lonely girl
And it's a lonely world
But she gon' let it burn baby burn baby"

"This girl is on fire
This girl is on fire
She's walking on fire
This girl is on fire"


She's just a girl, and she's on fire...

Are you going to fight the burn? I’m not...