Years ago I read about a fire on the Great Plains that consumed thousands of acres of grass. Two people thought they were doomed by the circling flames, until they ran to the bank of a river and jumped in. Swimming to the middle, they found that they could endure the heat of the fire, which raged on both sides.
Intermittently coming up for air, they submerged in the coolness and safety of the water until the fire subsided. They suffered some temporary injury from smoke inhalation, but they lived.
All our lives, emotional grass fires will break out around us—some ignited by others and some that we set ourselves. We cannot eliminate all the fires. Often we have no control over them whatever. But while the inevitable flames scorch the earth near us, we need not be trapped and burned. We can immerse ourselves in the wide and ever-flowing river of love that will cool us, buoy us up, and save our lives.
