Imagine with me that you are a competitor in a 26.2 mile marathon. Weary from the long hours of exertion, mental and physiological strength waning, you arrive at the last stretch and it appears that you are the lone athlete on that stretch. The trail is lined on either side by thousands of adoring fans screaming and calling out your name, assuring you that you can do it, chanting and cheering you on to success. At the sound of their heartening salutes, a sudden rush of adrenaline courses through your veins, and with this new burst of vitality, the weariness and exertion dissipate, your waning energy suddenly waxes strong, and you shoot forward in an instant like a projectile missile, crossing the finish line amidst a roar of cheers and raucous congratulations!
This analogy provides an apt description of the last four months of each year, collectively referred to as the “ember” months (a neologism apparently unique to Nigerian Nationals1). The term appears to be a deliberate attempt to evoke careful contemplation of those concluding months. The rhythmic tempo set forth by the vocalization of each successive month is beyond coincidental; their alliterative cadence appears to underscore their remedial capabilities as the “catch-up” months of the year. Any visions, goals, assignments, projects, aspirations, etc. that are yet to be attempted or accomplished are typically removed from the proverbial shelf, dusted off, reviewed, revised and regalvanized for the purpose of tangible attainment before the year runs out. These months therefore provide and represent late-year, last-minute opportunities or last-ditch efforts to achieve those unattained goals and dreams.
Like the typical marathoner, a person may have started the year with a bang, thoroughly excited, enlivened, and determined to attain all his set milestones. As the year progresses, he may keep a steady pace, most milestones still in view, passion and determination providing the ongoing impetus for continuous efforts and advancement. At some point later, danger, distractions, debilitating disappointment, defeat, and discouragement may set in, and slowly but surely, his speed begins to dwindle, and his focus, excitement, and determination diminish in the face of overwhelming challenges, derailing circumstances, and sequential setbacks. If these deterrents go unrecognized and course corrections are not employed, his velocity will ebb to a snail’s pace, or he will go entirely off-track and be in danger of missing the finish line altogether. Either way, he will fail miserably, goals unattained.
The good news is that God can turn around any disappointing or floundering situation and often uses the gift of time to do just that. The Bible promises beauty in place of the ashes2 of past rejection, calamities, and failure for the right reason, season, and purpose3 to those who humbly defer to and accept God’s leadership, assistance, and offer of rescue4. By Scriptural inference, we can conclude that God’s beauty is the direct antithesis of the ashes, failed opportunities, and other dilemmas of life (paltry but somewhat analogous examples of this beauty swap would be the making of invigorating lemonade from the sour lemons life hands out, or the rising of indefatigable champions from the slums of disadvantaged backgrounds).
Like ashes, cinders and embers are the products of combustion, albeit distinct from the former in that their combustion is incomplete (i.e., they do not burn into the powdery, lightweight state of the former). An online dictionary defines the word cinder as “a small piece of partly burned coal or wood that has stopped giving off flames but still has combustible matter in it.”5 The same source defines an ember as “the smoldering remains of a fire“6 while another describes it as, “ … a hot lump of smoldering solid fuel, typically glowing, composed of greatly heated wood, coal, or other carbon-based material. Embers (hot coals) can exist within, remain after, or sometimes precede, a fire.”7 The distinction between these latter products of fires is nuanced but significant. Cinders have stopped burning, not because they are incapable, but because they lack the fuel or fodder to keep the fire going. They represent flickering flames, dying fires that are certain to end as valueless soot without the intervening stokes necessary to rekindle the fire. On the other hand, embers are actively burning substances with the potential to spark into a raging inferno at any moment. As stated, they can exist within, remain after, or even precede an {active} fire.
Everyone with a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ has the joy, privilege and mandate to burn and shine for Christ.8 When one is caught up in vicissitudes of life, this flame tends to waver, as does one’s focus and passion, resulting in a vastly different trajectory from when the race commenced. It is therefore important to be aware and prepared for the things that will attempt to sway from maintaining the strong focus of one’s smoldering flame.
Friend, are you a vibrant ember, full of fuel, fire, and focus, staying your year’s course alongside other smoldering flames, constantly burning and easily ignitable into a blazing flame that can produce an ever-increasing impact on those around you? Have you determined to utilize your “ember months” as “catch-up” moments to reignite that fire, refuel your vision, and fulfill your year’s assignments? Refuse to be a dying cinder, hopelessly relegated to failure and a lack of fulfillment. Reject the possibility that this last quarter of the year could represent wasted time, effort, and opportunities. Repudiate any projection of an inability to finish well and finish strong. Ask God to help you get back on track. Connect meaningfully with purpose-driven visionaries who are like-minded and fueled by their passion for Jesus. Gorge on God’s Word, the Bible, and other fire-inspiring material that will infuse you with renewed strength and vigor to help recapture your focus and ability to stay on track. Make prayer a lifestyle9, and keep your vision constantly before you by writing and placing it in a place of prominence within your immediate vicinity.10
In this last stretch of the year, will your life and the concluding months represent cinders best forgotten, or (trail and fire) blazing embers to remember?
“... We have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds {cheering us on}. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us. We {must} look away from the natural realm and fasten our gaze on Jesus …“11 … “I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into His abundance so that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me to fulfill and wants me to discover. I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus …”12
**For questions on how to get to know God personally, grow in your relationship with Him, or for any other inquiries, please email: [email protected]**
For Your Ember-Igniting & Catch-Up Pleasure
Wonderful, Merciful Savior/My Heart Will Trust In You (Joe Mettle)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=dCXywtu_vIc&si=To05V95F3To1gdbr
Fire on My Altar (Emmanuel Iren)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=M9r1j1ICcrY&si=n6mvUXqQeMEya-Ra
Give Me Oil (Joe Mettle/Sandra Boakye Duah)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=PDtYGOzhYSg&si=FQdBz-Fg-nK6vF08
Holy Ghost (Emmanuel Iren/Sinach)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=h8iN2_9t64M&si=xMFoOxdYwlWtlRpu
Fire of the Holy Ghost (MOG Music)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=_BOMurndcYA&si=arVYjBlVqOE1s2Fm
Bibliography
- “Ember Months.” Wikipedia 2024; Retrieved September 6, 2024. ↩︎
- Isaiah 61:3 ↩︎
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; 11 ↩︎
- Psalms 149:4 ↩︎
- “Cinder.” Oxford Languages, 2024, Oxford University Press; Retrieved September 6, 2024. ↩︎ ↩︎
- “Ember.” Oxford Languages, 2024, Oxford University Press; Retrieved September 6, 2024. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
- “Embers.” Wikipedia 2024; Retrieved September 6, 2024. ↩︎ ↩︎
- Acts 2:1-21; Matthew 5:13-16; Philippians 2:14-15; Romans 12:11; Leviticus 6:12-13 ↩︎
- Psalm 109:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18; Psalms 55:16-17 ↩︎
- Habakuk 2:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Genesis 30:37-41 ↩︎
- Hebrews 12:1-2 ↩︎
- Philippians 3:12-13 ↩︎