A Short Piece of Nonfiction That Didn’t Win the Contest I Entered

 

Cute Little Kitchen Hand Towels

The story that is now somewhat funny could have been tragic. I had purchased a pretty kitchen hand towel with an knitted top so it could be conveniently attached to an appliance and hung it from the handle of my stove. It looked nice. That’s what I thought then and what I think now. But I will never again hang a towel near a stove, even an electric stove with no open flame.

It was afternoon, and I was home with my infant son, who slept sweetly in his crib, when I decide to make a cup of tea. I put the kettle on the front burner. When its whistle sounded, I lifted it from the burner and poured the hot water into my mug. Then, noticing a neglected spill, I placed the kettle on the cold burner at the back of the stove and wiped the stain from the white enamel with my pretty little hand towel. Only somehow the towel, still attached to the stove-handle, burst into flame.

The fire was small, and no grease was involved, so I reached under the counter for a bowl to fill with water to put out the flame. But, no, I grabbed the colander, instead, and naturally the water went right through it. Hurling the colander across the room, I reached again, but by this time the flames were reaching toward the over-stove cabinet. I was a bit panicked, but found a bowl, filled it with water and was successful in extinguishing the flames without the assistance of the Fire Department, but my house smelled smoky, and there was water all around.

What if grease had been involved? The possibilities left me shaking. Those cute little kitchen hand towels belong on refrigerators, not on stoves.

Empowered to Speak by Henri Nouwen

The Spirit that Jesus gives us empowers us to speak. Often when we are expected to speak in front of people who intimidate us, we are nervous and self-conscious. But if we live in the Spirit, we don’t have to worry about what to say. We will find ourselves ready to speak when the need is there. “When they take you before … authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say, because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say” (Luke 12:11-12).

We waste much of our time in anxious preparation. Let’s claim the truth that the Spirit that Jesus gave us will speak in us and speak convincingly.