Widowmaker
10:39 PM
One of the big adjustments I knew I would have to make in moving to Honduras was not having hot water. Very few houses here have hot water heaters, and even if we wanted to add one, the plumbing was not set up for it; only one pipe ran to each sink and shower.
Washing dishes in cold water did seem strange at first, but we use a different kind of dishwashing soap; it’s an abrasive paste instead of a liquid, and it is quite a bit stronger. Then after washing and rinsing the dishes, I soak them in a bleach solution to disinfect them, especially since our running water is not pure enough to drink and can contain parasites.
In our bathroom, we have install
ed a strange-looking contraption in the shower. A big plastic box with wires connects to a shower head and a long tube. This device is called a widow-maker. It causes the water to be heated through an electrical current. The first models were not very safe (hence the intimidating name), but they have been improved over the years. The higher the pressure, the less it heats the water; but if we open the tap only a little, the water can get quite warm. We’ve actually discovered an advantage to this system as well: we never run out of hot water (unless the electricity is out).
Of course, there are many days that the heat is so intense, we simply shut off the widow-maker and opt for a cold shower. I always grin when people exclaim, “You don’t have hot water!?!” Believe me, in a tropical climate, I’ve discovered that you don’t miss it much at all.
I think that’s the way it is for us children of God so many times. We think it’s going to be so very difficult to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. We keep ourselves back from doing His will, thinking of what we will miss, of what we will have to give up. And so many times, if we will just take that step of faith, we will later realize that making the sacrifice was not nearly as difficult as we imagined. We never miss those silly little things we were so worried about losing!
Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path. --Psalm 27:11
Washing dishes in cold water did seem strange at first, but we use a different kind of dishwashing soap; it’s an abrasive paste instead of a liquid, and it is quite a bit stronger. Then after washing and rinsing the dishes, I soak them in a bleach solution to disinfect them, especially since our running water is not pure enough to drink and can contain parasites.
In our bathroom, we have install
ed a strange-looking contraption in the shower. A big plastic box with wires connects to a shower head and a long tube. This device is called a widow-maker. It causes the water to be heated through an electrical current. The first models were not very safe (hence the intimidating name), but they have been improved over the years. The higher the pressure, the less it heats the water; but if we open the tap only a little, the water can get quite warm. We’ve actually discovered an advantage to this system as well: we never run out of hot water (unless the electricity is out).Of course, there are many days that the heat is so intense, we simply shut off the widow-maker and opt for a cold shower. I always grin when people exclaim, “You don’t have hot water!?!” Believe me, in a tropical climate, I’ve discovered that you don’t miss it much at all.
I think that’s the way it is for us children of God so many times. We think it’s going to be so very difficult to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. We keep ourselves back from doing His will, thinking of what we will miss, of what we will have to give up. And so many times, if we will just take that step of faith, we will later realize that making the sacrifice was not nearly as difficult as we imagined. We never miss those silly little things we were so worried about losing!
Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path. --Psalm 27:11
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