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lmost. Did you see that spark? There! It’s catching. Guard it from the wind! Now blow on it! What? It needs oxygen! Dang it. You blew it out. Let me try.

If you have ever started a fire or tried to start one, this exchange sounds amusingly familiar.

I smile remembering us little scouts hovering around a campfire, taking turns striking and blowing at the embers until it grew into a victorious furnace of heat. Back then we did not realize the principle we were learning.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

As the fires of life sparked, raged or fizzled, the magical interplay between oxygen and fire started to take on new meaning.

If you apply oxygen at the right time in the right amount, you will have a wonderful growing fire. And if you apply too much oxygen too early or not enough, you won’t.

Building fires reminds me to ask the question elsewhere in life, is my timing and intensity off?

Sometimes we strive and toil at something so hard, we miss this key question and principle.

Sometimes all it takes is adjusting your timing and intensity to turn a negative into a positive.

See if you can apply this principle in your life. The next time your life serves up a situation that is not quite working out in a positive way, don’t give up before identifying the oxygen and fire, then applying the principle.

Is this the best time? Is this the right amount?

I hope this serves you well.

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