Sunday’s Blessing – 02/08/2026 – Flue
If you’ve read much of my writing you know I am enamored with words. The English language is such a terrible means of communicating, yet having been born in The United States, I have very few other choices. So I continue to try, as futile as it may be. I have a running theme of FaceBook posts which I call “English is Hard,” where I list a string of words, usually homonyms (words which are pronounce the same but have different meanings), followed by some random thought on communication.
This has now spilled over into this series of blog posts called “Sunday’s Blessing.” This week during all the cold weather I built a fire in the fireplace. When I first lit the paper and kindling, the smoke started billowing into the house instead of up the chimney. I immediately thought the flue must be closed. Upon inspection, however, I discovered it was already open. “Flue” then became my latest series of words to think on. “Flew, flu, flue: English is Hard.” Three different words. Three very different meanings.
How this became a part of “Sunday’s Blessing” was the thoughts I had regarding “flue.” It’s part of the chimney designed to control airflow. When open it allows the hot smokey air to exit out the chimney instead of backing up into the house. When closed it keeps the outside air from coming into the house via the chimney.
When I lit the fire this week and found the flue already open, it occurred to me that all this time the heat from the HVAC unit had been flying out the chimney, causing the unit run more than needed, costing additional electricity and gas. This reminded me of the Christian life. In an attempt to please our Father by being a “good” Christian, we constantly take inventory of our life to see if there is anything there which would hinder our relationship with Him. Thinking we have everything under control, we come to the realization our “flue” is open, allowing the enemy access to our life to do what he does best – steal, kill, and destroy.
The Holy Spirit was given to the Believer to guide them into all truth. He leads us by directing our steps and also by helping us avoid hidden snares. He reveals “open flues” to prevent leaks in our spiritual lives. Keep the flame burning hot in your life. Allow the Spirit to help remove the leaky places and allow your cup to stay full.
Now for today’s blessing:
Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.” Song of Solomon 2:15 (ESV)Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matthew 7:3-5 (ESV)for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13 (ESV)“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37b-38 (ESV)
