What Do We See When We Focus on the Haze?

A heavy brown haze has hung over my hometown of Colorado Springs for several weeks now, often completely obscuring the view of Pikes Peak. Smoke has blown in from the wildfires in western states, particularly the Dixie Fire, which is now the largest single fire in California history.

The weather app on my phone includes an air quality alert, just in case I wasn’t paying attention to the fact that our normally Colorado blue skies are now brown. I have asthma and even though it’s well-controlled, I’ve stayed inside. A lot.

My family lived through the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012, including being evacuating from our home for two weeks because of smoke damage. To some degree, I know what people in California are experiencing.

And yet, I’ve avoided thinking about what’s happening “out there.” Maybe it’s just I don’t want to get too close to those memories.

Dealing with the smoke every day? It’s a nuisance, but I have newly installed air conditioning. I can close my windows, shut my doors, and be fine, just fine.

Then my daughter Katie Beth posted on IG that she was praying for all the men and women fighting the fires producing the smoke keeping our mountains hidden from view.

Reality check.

The entire town of Greenville, CA has burned down. Over 487,000 acres have burned, along with more than 900 structures, including homes and commercial buildings.

Sometimes the comfort of our homes becomes too comfortable. We forget the importance of the simplest of things, like praying for others who are facing danger and heartbreak.

When a friend is struggling, I like to say, “I’ll turn my thoughts of you into prayers for you.”

It’s time to stop looking at the haze in the sky as nothing more than an ongoing inconvenience. An interruption to my daily walks.

Instead, I can use the smoke as a reminder to pray for all those affected by the fires – homeowners and business owners, as well as the firefighters battling the blazes, and their families who are concerned for them and want them back home.

Won’t you join me?

What do we see when we focus on the haze? #focus #perspective
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'Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.' #quote by Sally Koch #opportunities #encouragement
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