Many years ago, I was the major financial force to support my family. We had young ones with all their needs, and I was self-employed working in the home repair and remodeling business. For me, time was money so I did not like to have to do things twice. My idea was to do it right the first time and go on to the next thing. This practice kept me busy, and I needed to stay busy to make ends meet. I recall a water tank I installed. It was plumbed with copper pipe. In those days we did not have all the quick-connect stuff that allowed you to just screw something off and on when installing a hot water tank. The joints of the piping were soldered together, which is sort of a type of welding using a torch, a metal brush and flux compound to clean the joint, and a roll of silver solder. The silver solder is a coil of soft metal thread about one eighth inch thick. After cleaning the joint of the pipe and the coupling with the metal brush and the acid flux compound, you stick the pipe together with the coupling and heat it with the torch. With the heat still going on it, you then touch the end of the silver solder to the hot pipe, and when the temperature is right, the solder will melt and migrate into the joint of the pipe to seal it. Everything must stay in place for a few moments for it to cool down thereby sealing the joint and fusing the pipe together. The water tank was in an awkward position so I was straining to reach the piping to work it. I got the pipe all cut to length, cleaned, and dry fit together. When I torched it to put the solder on it, I failed to notice that as I held the pipe in place, my hand was directly below one of the joints I would be soldering. When I soldered that joint, the excess solder dripped down on my hand. I could not let go or the joint would come apart until cooled, and the whole process would have to be repeated. Time lost. So, I just gripped it tight and let it cool with the drop of hot solder sizzling on my hand until all was cool enough to turn loose. The burn healed, but that moment was a test of endurance. We get tests in life that require raw endurance to hold things together. It can be a painful moment until things “cool down.” Then it is time to turn loose and let the healing take place. Jesus came to make us all overcomers. To overcome we must hold to the promises of God in spite of what is going on. Trusting in God’s faithfulness, we can be assured He will perform His Word. Our faith is accounted as righteousness. The repair is successful as we hold to His faithfulness.
A Drop of Hot Solder
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