gasoline

I was reminded the other day of an analogy I shared with youth camp workers many years ago, and I thought I’d reshare it with you today…

In every situation, you hold in your hands water and gasoline. The one you choose will determine the outcome of the given situation.

For instance, if you find yourself in the middle of a gossip situation, and you’re wondering what you should do, you have a choice. You can pour gasoline on the flames to fuel the stories, or you can pour water to put them out.

If your child comes running to you in fear, whether it be a dramatized fantasy or a realistic paranoia, what you do in that next moment matters. Sometimes, it will determine the growth of courage or a lasting lifetime fear. Do you throw the gasoline or water?

If your co-worker is infuriated with your boss because of a legitimate injustice being served, what do you do? You hold water and gasoline within your power.

If your friend is in desperate need of a life change. Maybe you know Christ, but you’ve been a little intimidated by their rejection of this saving grace. You know what peace you have found in your moments of fear, of anger and of brokenness; yet, you’ve hesitated to share your story. You hold water and gasoline within your grasp. Which will you choose??

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Years ago, someone gave me this little analogy, and I have adopted it as one of my mottos in life. It came to mind today; so, I thought I’d share it with you…

In every situation, whether it be crisis or peace, excitement or sorrow, you carry with you two buckets to use (Figuratively speaking, of course). With one bucket, you can soothe or dispel all you encounter. With the other, you can explode or inflame from the very core of a matter. You see, in these buckets, you carry water in one and gasoline in the other.
When you walk into a crisis, and you don’t know what to do, you have the option, at that very moment, to choose to pick up that bucket of water and sprinkle a little soothing liquid to calm the soul. You can even take the entire bucket and pour it out, leading an entire assembly to an utter calm by the words and actions you use. You can walk into that very same scenario, carrying with you the bucket filled to the brim with gasoline, and using that, you can send the whole congregating body into utter and complete chaos!
This can also be applied to a child and his dreams or a teen and her aspirations for life or even an adult struggling to make a new way for him/herself. You have the choice, in those moments of inspiration or desperation, to diminish any hopes of survival or fuel that tiny spark into the biggest flame, one that even a rain cloud won’t be able to quench. You can build a ladder upon which these tiny seeds can grow and thrive, or you can demolish the very foundation within which they were planted. It is up to you.
So, I ask you today, “What will you choose to do with those buckets you hold within your grasp? Will you do good or evil to those around you? Will you bring harm or joy to those you encounter?” You carry the power within your words and actions. You may bring life or death, depending on the liquid you choose. It just takes a little spark.