Firefighting is a great thing. There are fires that can be very dangerous and need to be put out. For example some fires that need to be put out are: house fires, forest fires, and my own story of car fires. I owned a Jeep Wrangler right after graduating high school and it was a great car! However, near the end of its life my engine caught on fire in the middle of an intersection at a 4 way stop light. I jumped out of the Jeep and lifted the hood seeing flames! So the only thing I had to put the fire out was…well…my shirt! I quickly took it off and started to fight the fire. I know what you are thinking…a buff guy like me with my shirt off in the middle of an intersection is a good thing…well…it turns out it’s not. I was scaring children and adults alike while I was blowing, yelling, and whipping my shirt against the engine. Finally after much hard work and more yelling it went out…that was a fire that needed to be fought!

Some fires are good though. On a cold night it is great to light a fire in the fireplace and snuggle up with your loved ones. Food is something we need fire for in order to cook with and heat the ingredients. Right here in our back yard in downtown Indianapolis we have the world’s largest glass sculpture called “Fireworks of Glass” created by Dale Chihuly located in the children’s museum. It was made by melting glass with fire!

Fire can be a good thing in the right context.

People have fires within them. They can have good fires and they can have bad fires. Good fires are about passion, purpose, and positivity! Bad fires are about complaining, negativity, and gossip! The bad fires need to be fought and put out. The good fires need to be fanned so they can grow!

You see, we cary with us two invisible buckets at all times in all situations. One bucket is filled with water, the other bucket is filled with gasoline. We need to know when to use the right bucket for the right situation. You don’t want to pour gasoline on a fire that needs to go out and you don’t want to pour water on a fire that needs to grow! The key is to know when to use the right bucket. When people are negative and complaining around you don’t pour gasoline on the fire by jumping in and stirring it up! It only makes the fire grow worse and do extreme damage in the end. Make sure you pour water on those fires.

Light fires of positivity and hope when you are around people! Pour gasoline on the good kinds of fires!

“Don’t get caught up in putting out more fires than you are lighting!”

Spend time being a firelighter not just a firefighter! Light fires of purpose, passion, and positivity and you will make a significant impact in the lives of those around you!