Ever Think About Going to Hell With a Hand Bucket?
Ever think what Hell is, only to have life's mind come up with the most horrendous picture of fire you could imagine? Do you know what a hand bucket is? Most often the hand bucket is all but forgotten, I keep a few around that remind me of a less convenient lifestyle, we used to experience.
Growing up traveling from, "back East" to "out West", we found ourselves very accustomed to the hand bucket, foot tub and wash tub! Update for the uninformed, hand buckets have a handle, or "bale", that you can carry, usually two gallons of water from the hand dug, hand pumped well.
This water was then poured into the foot tub, used exactly as it is named, to wash and soak tired, swollen and cracked feet in, of an evening, after a long hard day of physical labor in the fields.
The hand bucket also was used to carry water to the wash tub, for hand scrubbing clothes on a washboard, or to bathe the kiddos in, two or three before the water is dumped and changed! Well, this morning I was standing in my beautiful shower, in a beautiful bathroom, in a very comfortably furnished home, absorbing the ambiance of the morning, when it occurred to me that some of the folks I have recently come in contact with, are experiencing, "Hell" in their lives.
I then proceeded to realize what going to: "Hell with a Hand Bucket" would be like! Those television movies that show an old house or building on fire and the locals are running with buckets of water from the hand dug well, trying to put out the flames with the result, as one would expect, a fizzle of steam, before the flames engulf the air again.
Trying to put out the flames of those buildings, would not even begin to compare to putting out the flames of Hell! Thus the expression I am quoting, takes on even greater meaning! Why then, if we can understand how futile our attempts at putting out the flames with my hand bucket would be, do we attempt to tackle the devil in his territory? Would it not be better to call on wisdom to face the adversary? Does God not say, "Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
" Face it, we neglect the very command of God, to walk in His wisdom on a moment by moment basis.
He tells us to, "take every thought captive, to the obedience of Christ!" Do you know what the obedience of Christ is? It is to do nothing but the will of the Father! Christ, himself, says this! Wow, for the Father to "KNOW" me, is for me to be in Christ, doing as Christ did, the will of the Father! It is at times like these, I am reminded how we get into the situations that we call "Hell", by choice! Yes, by choice, as we choose how we will deal with every bit of stimuli that we are subjected to! I cannot prevail against the gates of Hell, with my hand bucket, but I have a way of escape, through the Son of God, who has provided a helper who will teach me all things, or bring to remembrance all things I need, to make my life one of, unbelievable peace! Cheryl G Burke
Growing up traveling from, "back East" to "out West", we found ourselves very accustomed to the hand bucket, foot tub and wash tub! Update for the uninformed, hand buckets have a handle, or "bale", that you can carry, usually two gallons of water from the hand dug, hand pumped well.
This water was then poured into the foot tub, used exactly as it is named, to wash and soak tired, swollen and cracked feet in, of an evening, after a long hard day of physical labor in the fields.
The hand bucket also was used to carry water to the wash tub, for hand scrubbing clothes on a washboard, or to bathe the kiddos in, two or three before the water is dumped and changed! Well, this morning I was standing in my beautiful shower, in a beautiful bathroom, in a very comfortably furnished home, absorbing the ambiance of the morning, when it occurred to me that some of the folks I have recently come in contact with, are experiencing, "Hell" in their lives.
I then proceeded to realize what going to: "Hell with a Hand Bucket" would be like! Those television movies that show an old house or building on fire and the locals are running with buckets of water from the hand dug well, trying to put out the flames with the result, as one would expect, a fizzle of steam, before the flames engulf the air again.
Trying to put out the flames of those buildings, would not even begin to compare to putting out the flames of Hell! Thus the expression I am quoting, takes on even greater meaning! Why then, if we can understand how futile our attempts at putting out the flames with my hand bucket would be, do we attempt to tackle the devil in his territory? Would it not be better to call on wisdom to face the adversary? Does God not say, "Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
" Face it, we neglect the very command of God, to walk in His wisdom on a moment by moment basis.
He tells us to, "take every thought captive, to the obedience of Christ!" Do you know what the obedience of Christ is? It is to do nothing but the will of the Father! Christ, himself, says this! Wow, for the Father to "KNOW" me, is for me to be in Christ, doing as Christ did, the will of the Father! It is at times like these, I am reminded how we get into the situations that we call "Hell", by choice! Yes, by choice, as we choose how we will deal with every bit of stimuli that we are subjected to! I cannot prevail against the gates of Hell, with my hand bucket, but I have a way of escape, through the Son of God, who has provided a helper who will teach me all things, or bring to remembrance all things I need, to make my life one of, unbelievable peace! Cheryl G Burke