Why do we do these to ourselves, I wonder? Why do we stuff our lives with bits and pieces that a crisis instantly renders meaningless? Why do we fritter our days, our years obsessing over matters of no real consequence? Why do we lavish attention on possessions instead of people and on riches that rust and moths cannot destroy? We squander our precious time and money and even throw away entire lifetimes striving for things bearing little resemblance to what truly count. We get frenzied over causes that are shallow and lose ourselves in endeavors that are transitory. Why must it take a tragic event to flood our minds with such brightness and clarity as to put everything in its proper perspective? Why does it take a limit situation to clarify priorities and illuminate what we hold dear and how fleeting life is? Sadly, however, that is usually the way it is. We need to be shaken rudely awake before life’s deep truths can penetrate our deadened senses. We need to be roused from our stupor before we recognize what we can and can’t live without, what is truly significant and what isn’t. When this awareness dawns, it cuts through our confusion effortlessly. It shakes our very foundations and takes us beyond ourselves. From this elevated vantage point, we then gaze at our selves, our lives through new eyes. Suddenly, we are filled with gratitude for another chance to set things right.

It took a fire that ravaged eleven houses and caused undue suffering for many people to show me what truly matter and the fragility of my existence. That fateful dawn, I saw that I had so much more than I need. I had amassed so much stuff that I had not even used or enjoyed fully. I wonder if this is true for you as well. Do you also find yourself griping and grumbling about your state of lack, conveniently forgetting that most times, we cannot and do not even appreciate and put to good use all that we already have? That same dawn, I also realized that in rare moments of clarity, symbols that define our identity no longer take center stage. These trappings of honor, achievement and affluence are relegated to the background where they appropriately belong. What are left in the spotlight are the people we care for and who care for us. And what becomes of monumental importance is what we intend to do with the rest of our lives. Do we live it with great intent and passion or do we waste it in meaningless pursuits?

I never thought a raging fire could set ablaze a flame inside that revealed so much of me. This flame exposed the parts of me that have long been cloaked in procrastination, self-doubt, cowardice and mediocrity. In doing so, it effectively unmasked the only major obstacle that has stood between me and the fulfillment of many of my dreams: my self. At last, I was free.

Thank God for breakthroughs. Touched by His grace, I am finally awake. Already I feel a sense of purpose stirring within me seeking an outlet for its expression. And seeing more clearly how limited my time here is, I am compelled to act. Now is the time to stretch my limits, to be grateful for all I have, and to value the people in my life.

I pray that this flame He lit continues to remind me never to sleepwalk through life again. Then I shall never need another catastrophe to force me awake or to upset my sense of equilibrium just to put order and balance in my life. May He therefore light your fire, too, in whatever manner He chooses. When He does, I am certain that you, too, will be moved to live your life more fully. You, too, will no longer take any of your gifts for granted. And you, too, will stamp every moment with your best despite your fears. And maybe, just maybe, when we all start living that way, in the words of Og Mandino, we can make this world a better place than the one we found.