Beacon

“On Fire”

I am here atop the mountain,
And my Fire burns on high,
A Beacon for the world,
A Pillar of Faith and Light.

“Be on fire!” they told me,
“Let the wind not defeat,”
But a fire only lasts as long
As wood provides it meat.

I have need in the valley
To fetch some kindling sticks,
But my friends bid me stay
Where the Fire squirms and kicks.

“God wants such Fire,” they say,
“Keep it burning long.”
How am I to keep it so
If I’ve no wood to keep it strong?

It has my zeal, my fervor–
Desire is its ration,
But Fire doesn’t last too long,
On twigs and leaves of passion.

The wood lies in the valley,
And the Beacon’s need is dire.
I must go down the mountain,
To find substance for my Fire.

I take a torch in hand,
The Beacon fades and dies,
But the Fire remains with me,
Putting Light into my eyes.

Life is not a mountain,
But has need of valleys, too.
Beacons only last as long
As unfed passions do.

I wrote this poem last summer, as I tried to deal with the phrase, "being on fire for Jesus". I've always had a bit of trouble with the mentality that spirituality is all about emotional highs and feeling good. Life, you see, is not always a mountaintop experience. There are valleys, too. And I'm finding this is most true in the areas of love and zeal--their flames are nothing without the substance of Christ to feed the fire, and He is often found in the valley.