Young passions can spark and flare quickly , but experience calls us to “ fan into flame ,” to endure until that experience has progressed well past hobby and morphed into our life ’ s very heartbeat . We ’ ll need those years of pursuit and commitment when we fall unexpectedly or feel like our progress has plateaued .
The Greek verb tense Paul uses here can refer to an action that is ongoing or habitual , which would make sense for this verb (“ keep fanning it !”). To keep a fire going , we must stoke it over and over , add extra kindling , fan the air to kick up that which has died down . Fanning isn ’ t a one-time exertion of effort , a quick sprint , or a quick fix . Fanning is active and repeated — and it might eventually become quite uncomfortable .
Fanning requires you to get close to the very thing that could also kill you .
When our experience leads us to what looks and feels a lot like passion , that experience will require applied effort .
Fanning requires an intimacy , a closeness that reminds you why you ’ re still there in the first place . This “ why ” must be so compelling that it carries you when you want to quit .
Fanning takes you back and tethers you to the very beginning , rewinding the story to its origins so you can watch the parts that had faded from memory .
Fanning helps you stay faithful .
Fanning helps you remember .
The very next verse Paul writes is the one we read when we first encountered the Passion Pillar :
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity , but of power , love , and self-discipline .
Fanning the gifts of our experiences into flame creates an ongoing spirit of power , love , and self-discipline . And what I find interesting is the spirit Paul contrasts all this with : not of apathy , not of confusion , but of fear and timidity .
Do something for long enough , and it ’ ll find a way to scare you .
Do something for a series of years , and you may find yourself questioning whether you gave yourself to the right endeavor .
Do something for a series of years , and you ’ ll discover that thing is changing — or that it ’ s changed you .
You ’ re not just racking up enough time to get tenure . You ’ re not looking to retire early or make millions or a name for yourself .
When you ’ re pursuing experience , minutes and hours turn into days and weeks and years . And those minutes and hours — the ones you ’ re willing to endure and suffer for , the ones that have their hooks in you — are the ones that will tell you where your passions lie . Your first steps , your first words in tension
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