Just Blowing Smoke

Know how to get your blood pumping early in the morning???


Just turn the HVAC unit in your hotel room to heat for the first time of the season. Yeah. I did that. And a cloud of smoky dust propelled itself into the room. Which, naturally and of course, set the smoke alarm off. I think I literally jumped into the air in shock and surprise. My first thought was, "Great. I've set the hotel on fire." My second thought was more logical... Turn the machine off.
I did so, thus stopping any additional smoky dust from blowing into the room. Then I tried waving my hand at the smoke detector way above my head in a futile attempt to stop the loud blast of alarm blaring forth. I laughed at myself as I did so. But before I could get to a bath towel to help fan away the guilty dusty cloud, the alarm stopped.
So, I called the front desk. After all, I was not prepared for anyone to burst into my room to put out a fire that didn't exist. I hadn't had my shower. I hadn't had my coffee. I didn't even have my glasses on yet.


My conversation with the front desk went something like this:


Me: Hello, I'm in room 310 and I just turned my unit to heat but it blew a cloud of dust and smoke and set the smoke detector off. I figured you might be seeing an alert down there.


Lady: Well, I'm supposed to, but I'm not. It hasn't been working right lately.


Me: Ok. I just wanted to let you know.


Lady: Thank you.


Ummmmmm... Not the most comforting thought. If the hotel WERE on fire, would they know it? Anyway, that's not the point of this post. The point is, when the heat is on, when you find yourself under pressure, what comes out? 
When life gets tough and it feels like you can't please anyone, when there just aren't enough hours or days, when you don't know where the money will come from, when everyone expects everything immediately, do you spew out a messy stinky mess that makes people not want to be around you? Are your words harsh? Is your attitude one of bitterness? Do you attack anyone who enters your space?  Do your defenses go up causing people to have to work that much harder to offer their friendship and support?
OR
Like the old adage says, do you make lemonade from your lemons? When you are squeezed do people taste the sweet nectar of trust in One greater than yourself? Do they see you yield control to the One who holds the whole world in His hands?
Friends, the entire sequence of events with that heat unit lasted less than five seconds. It was quick. The smoke and dust blew out. I turned the machine off. The alarm went off. Less than five seconds. But the smell lasted the rest of our visit. The room smelled like scorched cheese. Have you ever made a grilled cheese sandwich and had a drop of melted cheese stick to the bottom of the pan and burn? That was the smell. Nasty.
In the interest of full disclosure, I want you to know I did try to cover up the smell. We try to cover up our stinky messes too, don't we? I had some of that bathroom spray that is supposed to eliminate any hint you were there if you spritz it before you sit. I sprayed it around the room. It helped a little, but didn't clear the smell completely. And that's what happens when we try to cover up the mess we make when we get fired up from the pressure life brings us.
Can I encourage you today to expect the heat? If the hotel crew had thought ahead and realized people were going to be cold when the temperature dropped and cleaned the units in preparation for winter, this wouldn't have happened. If we stay close to our Heavenly Father, reading his Word, praying, when the pressure comes, we will be prepared and know who we can trust to walk through the fire with us.  The heat will come. Life will get rough. But you can and will get through when you are prepared.