When my children were young, our family had fun playing with sparklers – those wandlike fireworks that emit colourful sparks and flashes. They enjoyed watching the sparklers swirl in the air, leaving fleeting traces of whirls and swooshes in the darkness. For all their bling and pizzazz, though, sparklers don’t last very long. Little twinges of disappointment would show on my children’s faces each time a sparkler ran its course and fizzled out.

Sometimes the excitement that comes from becoming a Christian – or even an energising spiritual experience – can seem much like a sparkler. It’s grand, showy and feels great, but if it is grounded only in a surge of emotion then the excitement is likely to fizzle out.

  

The authentic Christian experience is less like a sparkler and more akin to a warming fire. It takes effort to get it started and discipline   and persistence to keep it fed and glowing. But it will never go out as long as we are willing to do the work of nurturing it. On our daily walk with Christ, we stoke that fire with Bible study, prayer, meditation and through sharing God’s love with others. Working to keep that fire burn- ing within us through good times and bad gives us a warm sense of God’s presence.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to kindle the flame of faith so that we remain committed to you. Amen