{"id":4629,"date":"2019-02-28T11:28:01","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T17:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nafwb.org\/?p=4629"},"modified":"2019-02-28T11:28:01","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T17:28:01","slug":"the-short-fuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/the-short-fuse\/","title":{"rendered":"The Short Fuse"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Keith Burden<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was the summer before I entered fourth grade\u2014a typical hot July 5th<\/sup>in Oklahoma\u2014the day after we celebrated Independence Day with a cookout and fireworks. I sat on the front steps bored, looking for something to do.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when I spotted it\u2026an unexploded Black Cat firecracker on the ground near the sidewalk. It had a short fuse\u2014very short. I knew it would be risky, but I was determined to set it off.<\/p>\n

I walked into the kitchen and nonchalantly took a match from the matchbox.<\/p>\n

Mother confronted me, \u201cWhat are you going to do with that match?\u201d I proudly displayed the firecracker and announced my intention. Mom was unimpressed.<\/p>\n

Switching to Plan B<\/strong><\/h3>\n

She confiscated the match and sent me outside. I sat dejectedly on the front steps trying to come up with \u201cPlan B.\u201d Suddenly, an ingenious idea hit me. I couldn\u2019t believe I hadn\u2019t thought of it sooner.<\/p>\n

I carefully opened the driver\u2019s side door of our family car parked in the driveway, slipped into the front seat and quietly pulled the door shut so as not to arouse Mom\u2019s attention. I rolled the window down about two inches and pushed the cigarette lighter deep into the socket.<\/p>\n

In a matter of seconds the lighter popped out and with a trembling hand I removed it from the dashboard. My plan was simple\u2026touch the fuse to the red hot lighter and then toss the small explosive through the two-inch opening. I took a deep breath and set out to execute my plan.<\/p>\n

Major Malfunction<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It was at that point that my plan went terribly wrong. Sparks spewed from the end of the miniature bomb. With a quick motion I attempted to hurl the firecracker through the window. Too slow. The Black Cat exploded inside the car. Excruciating pain shot through my left hand, and powder burns branded my thumb and index finger.<\/p>\n

The car acted like a percussion chamber\u2014I experienced a loud ringing in my ears. I opened the door and bolted in panic. My first impulse was to run inside the house and appeal for assistance from Mother, but the fear of being disciplined for my carelessness and disobedience restrained me.<\/p>\n

I found an outside hydrant and tried to relieve the burning with cold water, but to no avail. The deafening roar in my ears worsened by the minute. As I sat on the steps holding my hand, tears streamed down my face. I learned a painful lesson; a short fuse is a dangerous thing.<\/p>\n

Spiritual Parallel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

That was the last time I tried that stunt. But in the more than 40 years since, I have witnessed some equally irresponsible spiritual debacles. On numerous occasions I have stood by helplessly and watched as individuals with short fuses exploded and caused more damage than my infamous little firecracker.<\/p>\n

Solomon recognized the dangers of dealing with people who have short fuses. In Proverbs 14:17 he wrote, \u201cHe that is soon angry dealeth foolishly.\u201d Those who fly off the handle inevitably hurt feelings and damage or destroy relationships. The testimony of many Christians has been irreparably harmed because they failed to control their anger and tongue.<\/p>\n

Temperance (or having a long fuse) is one of the characteristics of a mature Christian. The wise man applauds this quality in Proverbs 16:32, \u201cHe that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bible upholds this standard for all believers, but it is especially applicable to ministers of the gospel. In Titus 1:7-9, Paul outlines the qualifications of a bishop. Interestingly, among the many credentials he lists is the phrase, \u201cnot soon angry.\u201d Clearly, the ministry is no place for short-fused individuals.<\/p>\n

Use Extreme Caution<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fireworks almost always come with warnings. Invariably the labeling on the package will list the hazards of explosive devices. Similarly, scripture verses offer cautions in the matter of short fuses. James 1:19, \u201cWherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.\u201d That advice could defuse potentially volatile situations.<\/p>\n

My fingers no longer hurt and my ears don\u2019t ring. But I\u2019ve never forgotten the painful lesson from that firecracker. Control your anger\u2026use good judgment. Don\u2019t get burned by a short fuse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Keith Burden It was the summer before I entered fourth grade\u2014a typical hot July 5thin Oklahoma\u2014the day after we celebrated Independence Day with a cookout and fireworks. I sat on the front steps bored, looking for something to do. That\u2019s when I spotted it\u2026an unexploded Black Cat firecracker on the ground near the sidewalk. It had a short fuse\u2014very short. I knew it would be risky, but I was determined to set it off. I walked into the kitchen and nonchalantly took a match from the matchbox. Mother confronted me, \u201cWhat are you going to do with that match?\u201d I proudly displayed the firecracker and announced my intention. Mom was unimpressed. Switching to Plan B She confiscated the match and sent me outside. I sat dejectedly on the front steps trying to come up with \u201cPlan B.\u201d Suddenly, an ingenious idea hit me. I couldn\u2019t believe I hadn\u2019t thought of it sooner. I carefully opened the driver\u2019s side door of our family car parked in the driveway, slipped into the front seat and quietly pulled the door shut so as not to arouse Mom\u2019s attention. I rolled the window down about two inches and pushed the cigarette lighter deep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4629"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4630,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4629\/revisions\/4630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}