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Fluffing The Fire Extinguisher
The guy from the fire equipment company stopped by the church late one morning recently. He had to get in both our buildings, the storage shed, and both vehicles, to check each of the fire extinguishers we have on campus. So I grabbed all the keys and followed him around so he could have access to everything.
I noticed that not only did he inspect the gauges and the tags on each of the units, but he also turned them over, and with a rubber mallet, hit them hard about three or four times. He did this several times, and finally, I had to know what that was about!
He told me that over time, the powder in a fire extinguisher settles to the bottom and gets real hard. If that happens, the extinguisher is virtually useless, or at least not as effective. So he has to turn them upside down and whack them hard a few times to break up any powder that may have settled. He said that was called "fluffing" the fire extinguisher.
Well, being a preacher, I couldn't help but make an instant analogy--sometimes I've become a little too "settled" as well, and my Heavenly Inspector has had to turn me upside down and whack me a few times. It hurt while He was doing it, but in the end those experiences have made me more effective in the purposes God has for my life.
I guess I could carry the analogy a little further and talk about how, like the fire extinguisher, I'm supposed to be putting out the fires of hell, but I won't go that far. This time.
But the next time you find yourself upside down, and you see the rubber mallet in God's Hand, remember that He is only doing that to shape you and make you what He wants you to be.
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--Rocky Henriques, www.timothyreport.com
