MEAT SLICERS ARE SHARP

Back in high school, I was blessed to get a job at a local pizza shop. It was not complicated, I took orders, made pizzas, and sometimes delivered them. When I was not handling food I was folding boxes, doing dishes, and cleaning the store. Since we sliced our own meats and vegetables I had to clean the meat slicer.

            

Every day when I was cleaning it my boss would tell me the same thing, “be careful, that thing is sharp.” Every day, I would laugh and think the boss was just a crazy old man with nothing better to do. Besides, I was eighteen years old and knew everything, including that cutting blades are sharp.

            

One day the boss forgot to tell me that the meat slicer was sharp. Not thinking anything of it, I grabbed a white towel and dipped it into the soapy water. Carefully, I placed my fingers on the outside of the towel and gripped the blade, rotating it around trying to get all the pieces of green pepper cleaned off. For a split second I stopped paying attention, just long enough for one of my fingers to slip out of its protected position on the towel. My finger barely brushed against the stainless steel edge, a flash of cold followed a quick burning sensation as blood dripped down my hand and onto the floor. It only took one moment of not paying attention and letting my guard down for a something bad to happen, which in this case was only a small little cut.

            

God has placed people in all of our lives that are older and have more gray hairs of wisdom than us. Often times these folk are more than willing to share their knowledge with us. Sometimes it is to help us through a tough situation, other times it is to warn us of what might happen. In either case, it is important for us to heed their advice, if not we could end up learning for ourselves that meat slicers are sharp.

Proverbs 19:20—Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. (ESV)