Ben and the fiery furnace

Wendy Joy Spille

Ben likes to work with his dad. He even has his own set of tools. It can be a lot of fun helping to fix things.

One day Ben was helping Dad work on the furnace. They live in a two-family house, and there are two furnaces that sit side by side in the basement. The furnace Dad was working on was turned off, but the neighbor's was still running. While they were working, Ben rested his hand against the flue of their own furnace. (The flue is the pipe that carries the smoke from the furnace to the chimney.) It was just a little warm. Then he touched the flue of the other furnace, which was running. It was very hot, and he pulled his hand away quickly. Ben's hand hurt—a lot!

Because they were Christian Scientists, it was natural for Ben and his family to turn to God when they felt scared or hurt. Mom had heard Ben's cry and joined Ben and Dad in the basement. Together, they talked about God's great love for all of His children, including Ben. They affirmed that God was always with them, caring for them, and that God's child was spiritual, so he couldn't really be touched or harmed by anything material.

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