Many years ago the
voice of Aunt Peggy interrupted a sound sleep. I responded by drawing the
covers up over my head thinking that, if I ignored the voice, somehow it would
go away. It didn’t. The voice returned an octave higher and a decibel louder allowing
the words to finally penetrate my foggy morning mind. She said in her thick
Irish brogue, “If you want a warm kitchen in which to dress, pancakes for breakfast,
and hot water to wash in, you need to take care of the stove.”
The mention of pancakes motivated me
to move from under the covers, step onto the cold floor, and stretch out the
overnight stiffness – a stretch that would make any cat proud. Taking care of
the stove was a reference to the massive cast-iron coal cook stove in the
country kitchen. It was a multitask appliance – heater to dissipate the costal
Maine chill, water heater to take the edge off the cold bathroom water, and
most importantly, the cooking stove that made the best hotcakes on Mt Dessert
Island.
Slipping on my unlaced sneakers, I
plodded down the hallway in a sleepy trance with the coal bucket in hand. At
the massive coal bin I shoveled coal into the bucket until it was full and just
at the point that I could barely lift it. Then with both hands on the handle, I
lugged the bucket back to the kitchen to feed the stove.
I got the lid lifter and removed the
lids to the coal stove, and filled a shovel of coal from the bucket. Aunt Peggy’s
voice froze my arm in midair as she asked, “Have you riddled the stove? Always
riddle the stove before you put in more coal.” The term “riddled” is a word
used for removing ash from the combustion chamber of a coal stove. I knew this needed to be done but
I was careless. So I put the coal down, got the crank to “riddle” the stove,
and cranked so the ashes would fall into the ash pan. I stopped when I saw the
red coals begin to appear in the pan and knew the ash was gone. When all that
was left in the stove were red hot coals, I began feeding the stove the coal.
The key to a productive cook stove was to have the useless ash removed so a
healthy fire could develop. The smell of the burning coal was evident even before
I could get the lids on the top of the stove replaced. With satisfaction I knew
that within a half hour the next smell that would greet me would be the aroma
of hot cakes generously filled with the Maine blueberries we picked the day
before.
In a similar way, sometimes one needs
to be “riddled” to get rid of that which is useless in their life so they can be
as productive as they should be. Often in the course of living one allows
things to exist in their life that tends to smother productivity. Instead of
living a life that is “hot” one simply “smolders,” living an unproductive life.
Sometimes one is even unaware of their condition assuming all is well when
actually all could be much better.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus
writes letters to seven churches. One of these churches, Laodicea, was unaware
that the life they were living was not as productive as it should be
(Revelation 3:14-22). They thought that they were “hot” stuff, saying, “I am
rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing” (17). Jesus on the other
hand saw their real condition. Their fire was going out because they had a lot
of inhibiting “ash” in their life that needed to be removed. Jesus says, “But
you do not realize you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” He sees
their life as one that needs some shaking up.
Rather that write them off as a lost
cause, Jesus “riddles” them with His love, rebuke, and discipline. He
challenges them to “be earnest and repent” (19). Once they are “riddled” he is
willing to supply what will make their life “hot” and productive again. He
invites them “to buy from me gold refined in the fire; and white clothes to
wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes
to see” (18). Christ wants productivity restored.
How does Christ in love “riddle” us?
Sometimes that which loosens the “ash” from our life is disappointment,
discouragement, defeat, disease, or some type of discipline. One should be
removing the “ash” of sin regularly from their lives as they “throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us” (Hebrews
12:1). However, sometimes one forgets that one needs to get rid of the “ash.”
God loves people so much He does not want one to stay in that unproductive
state. He “disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness”
(12:7-11). He loves to see His children live productive lives.
The lesson from the coal stove is a
simple one. Remove the ash and become productive again. The lesson from Christ
is a simple one too. Repent of the sin that diminishes your productivity as a
Christian and become the child of God he has designed you to be.
