Fire and Ice

It’s a pleasure to hear from Vicki Weimer this week! Be certain to drop by the contributors page to learn more about her.

Seeing the volcanic eruption light up the night from the living room window, I bellowed to my adult son, “Let’s drive up to the church and get as close to the volcano as possible.” With my husband out of town, William and I dressed for the snow as quickly as possible. He drove down the icy roads as I took pictures and videos. The entire snowy landscape was on fire. This is life in Iceland, the land of fire and ice.

In Revelation, God wrote to the church of the Laodiceans about these two extremes: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).

Sometimes, I struggle to understand the figurative language in the Bible, superimposing my understanding into what God is trying to say. For example, I want to be “on fire” for God, but I do not like drinking hot water. I do not want to be cold-hearted for God, but I like drinking cold water. More intelligent people have explained this passage, but I understand this concept differently, having watched the extremes of ice and fire.

Winter in the Arctic means work. I cannot just throw on a pair of Crocs and run to the store. Preparation is key. Before the extreme weather starts, I must winterize my car with fluids, put on tires with nails, and place supplies in the back in case I get stuck in the snow. If I plan on going out, I must have my coat, gloves, hat, and boots. Then I start my car, let the engine warm, shovel snow, and leave my driveway. Cold weather means I cannot be lazy.

Lava is hot, really hot. Tragically, in our latest eruption, the lava destroyed a few houses in the village next to the church. We watched in real-time as the slow-moving lava got closer and closer to the town. Before the lava covered the buildings, its heat had already destroyed some houses.

Several brave Icelanders ran between rivers of flowing lava and risked their lives to move their excavators out of the path of destruction. Then they slowly drove out, turned around to face the lava, and defiantly built a dirt wall to divert it from the town. The heat from that lava was extreme and did not allow laziness.

My understanding of the hot, cold, and lukewarm that the Lord mentioned has expanded in experiencing these extremes. Both extremes call for preparation, diligence, and even bravery. As a Christian, I cannot be lukewarm or lazy. I need to recognize the importance of preparing for both extremes, hot and cold. Seeing the fire and ice landscape recently has helped me better understand why God prefers His church to be hot or cold but not lukewarm.