Stir the Embers

Last year, I spent five solid months cleaning up the pasture on our inherited property. It was one of those projects that was just plain exhausting. Day after day of cutting, dragging, stacking, and slowly creating ten enormous brush piles that needed to be burned.

By May, we were finally near the end. I waited patiently for a good rain so everything would be safe, and then I’d light two or three piles at a time with a blow torch. They would burn all day long — big, roaring, crackling fires that felt like victory after months of hard work. But what amazed me most happened the next morning.

When I walked out to check on them, all I saw were what looked like cold, gray, lifeless ashes. The piles were smaller, spread out, and unimpressive. It seemed like the fire had done its job, but there was plenty of charred brush that hadn’t burned on the outer edges. Then I started raking.

As I pulled the ashes back together into a tighter pile, something unexpected happened. Hidden underneath the surface were glowing embers. The moment they were stirred and just a little oxygen reached them, they flared back up. What looked dead and finished quickly reignited into a living, blazing fire.

How many times in life do we look at a situation — or even at our own hearts — and think the fire is gone? Maybe it’s our passion. Maybe it’s a dream God gave us. Maybe it’s our energy, our calling, or even our faith during a hard season. From the outside, it can look like nothing but ashes. But ashes don’t mean the fire is gone.

Sometimes the embers are simply buried under discouragement, busyness, disappointment, or exhaustion. And all they need is a little stirring and a little breath of fresh air.

Scripture reminds us that God is the One who breathes life. He revives. He restores. He rekindles. What feels cold and finished to us may still be quietly glowing underneath.

I’ve learned that when I feel spiritually tired or uninspired, I don’t need to manufacture a new fire. I just need to let Him stir the embers. Time in His Word. Quiet prayer. A step of obedience. A small act of faith. And suddenly — flame.

If you’re walking through a season that feels like ashes, don’t assume it’s over. Don’t assume the fire has died. There may be more life there than you realize. Sometimes all it takes is a little stirring and the breath of God.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God…” 2 Timothy 1:6

February 18, 2026 Morning Brew

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