Prov 6:28 Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?
It seems obvious really when we read it today. There are things we do, choices we make, that have consequences for us.
I remember in 1977 I was working at a fast-food café, having started as a dishwasher in 1974, I was now the “short-order cook”, which next to the manager was the highest-paid position.
We were open from 8 am till 10.30 pm, and the evening manager oversaw 6 pm till around midnight when all the cleaning was completed.
On a busy Saturday, we were short of staff that night and I was asked to stay on and work through, which I did. To complicate matters a new manager was starting that night and no one on the team had met or worked with him before.
When he arrived, in his new suit, shirt and tie, we all thought he was a bit overdressed. But we wanted to work with him so we all listened to what he said and got on with our roles. There was a new young student behind the drinks bar who had never worked there before, had been given no training and was doing the best she could, with me calling over directions to help as I led the cooking section as well. We were under pressure. The manager stationed himself at the payment station near the front door and did not leave there even when there was no one waiting to pay. Most managers would talk to customers at the tables and move around the staff areas to see how things were going.
In the middle of a frantic period of busyness, the Pepsi machine ran out of syrup. In those days we filled a stainless steel tank with syrup manually and then the machine was set to mix the syrup with soda water and dispense Pepsi.
The manager heard the discussion as I was trying to help, and he came running down through the shop. I said I was used to doing this and that I would get the syrup and fill the machine as soon as I had the next table’s orders completed. He said to me too abruptly to forget it, and that he would fix the situation.
So, leaving a bunch of impatient customers waiting to pay, he set off downstairs to the basement storeroom, where he grabbed two boxes of containers of syrup, ran back upstairs, and emptied the contents into the stainless tank. Switching the machine back on the manager called out so all the staff could hear him, “Pepsi is back on, I have filled the tank we are all good now”. With a bit of a squint tie, rumpled suit, and a swagger, he walked quickly past the kitchen and up to the till where he sweet-talked the customers and cleared the backlog.
The restaurant sat around 100 people, it was full, and a line was forming at the door for tables.
I was under the pump in the kitchen, sweat running into my eyes as we tried to get all the orders cooked and out as quick as we could – keeping seven or eight waiting staff happy in the process. It was all done by memory, with nothing written down.
At one point I looked up and all I could see was waiting staff walking back towards the drinks area with full glasses of Pepsi. People were saying it tasted funny. They were being piled up on the service counter and were overwhelming that space quickly.
The manager was under pressure from the line at the door as well as from people wanting to pay, so I ran over to the drinks area, poured myself a small drink of Pepsi and tasted it. I knew immediately what had happened. The manager in his rush had poured containers of maple syrup (for our pancakes dishes) into the Pepsi machine. All he had seen was the word “syrup”. But the boxes were completely different colours. He lacked experience and refused help. There would be an impact to the cost of sales as well as 4 gallons of maple syrup has just been wasted.
It was a setback, but we had to fix it. The manager stayed away not offering any help now. I found a way to empty and rinse out the container as best I could get Pepsi syrup from the basement, refilled the machine and switched it back on. Other staff were pouring the returned drinks down the drain and clearing the mess. We were trying to do all this as a team and to minimise the impact on the customers.
After the first two or three glasses of Pepsi were poured the slight taste of maple disappeared, and I was back in the kitchen moving like fury to catch up with the orders.
I never saw that manager again after that night, none of the team had trusted his leadership and he stayed aloof and distant the whole night, leading by position and not by relationship. Not sure if he left, was moved to another shop, or what. One thing for sure, he had his feet burned in management that first night.
KNOWLEDGE
Little decisions can have lasting consequences. A moment’s careless flirting can lead to the demise of a marriage. A reflexive lie can destroy a career, and a poor decision can impact for a lifetime.
Learning true interdependence is at the heart of maturity. This can seem counter-cultural in a society obsessed with the individual, minority groups rights, and how many followers a person may have.
As a Christian, we are at our best when we are interdependent with the Holy Spirit and our community of believers. As a leader, we are at our best when we are interdependent with our board of directors, staff, customers, and suppliers.
Our leadership can then be hallmarked by compassion, trust, hope, and stability. What would others say about your leadership today?
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
“hot coals” is pronounced “gabal” in Hebrew, and this word is mentioned 15 times in the Old Testament. Hot coals were used in offerings, were symbolic of God’s presence and God speaking to his rebellious people. In Proverbs 6:28 then we have a picture of people who disregard God’s clear guidance, who have no healthy fear or respect towards God and feel like they can just trample over anything he may say.
WISDOM
Q – What value does the evidence of your life show towards God’s words?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Significance wants to be recognised, to be important in others eyes. You want to make a difference. This drives you to make sure your work and your contributions count.
You know what it feels like to do the work and then have someone else take the credit. You make sure this doesn’t happen for your team — you shine a light on their accomplishments. Your willingness to be in the public eye enables you to stand up and be recognized — to take a stand when it matters and to be the voice for others who shy away from the spotlight.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – [can humans go about their daily business while walking on hot embers without their sensitive parts being damaged by fire?]
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to please be aware of your daily guidance, and to pay attention in those areas where my life risks great damage by inattention.
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