Remove the ‘clinkers’ from your life, with God’s help, to embrace the day and look ahead

When I was a kid in Parma, one of the chores assigned to me and my brothers was the removing of the “clinkers” from the old coal furnace in the basement of our house, as well as the one in the church next door. “Clinkers” were the remains of the coal after it had burned. They are actually chunks of hardened ash that bonded in the fire.

Dad had a long pole with hooks on the end. He showed us how to twist the handle that controlled these tongs. He then helped us insert this pole into the furnace; grip the clinkers; and remove them to a metal bucket beside the furnace – to cool. He wanted us to remove the clinkers often, perhaps every day. Dad said the clinkers took up room in the firebox and choked the oxygen needed for a good fire. He wanted just enough hot ash to provide a bed of coals to ignite the fresh fuel, but too many clinkers were not good for the fire.

In Leviticus 6, apparently Moses had the same idea as my father about taking out the clinkers, because he gave specific instructions about cleaning out the ashes from the altar upon which the ceremonial sacrifices were to burn continually. If the fire was going to burn continually, someone would not only have to keep fueling the fire, but also have to dispose of the ashes that accumulated. There were several references in the Law of Moses for the disposition of the ashes and the carcasses that remained after their sacrifices. Some of the ashes were kept in a clean, safe place so they could be used in future ceremonies of the Jewish people (Numbers 19; Hebrews 9:13).

In biblical times, people had piles of ashes near their homes where the accumulation of past fires were kept. In times of sorrow, repentance or humility, they would either sit in the pile of ashes or sprinkle them upon their heads and over their bodies. Ashes were symbolic of their past experiences.

Do you suppose ashes can be symbolic for us as well? They might represent the remains of our experiences, both good and bad. Some of them might be kept in a safe place for limited use in the future. There are times, like at Thanksgiving, when we are blessed to reflect on the grace of God, as well as that of others throughout our lives. While good memories can inspire and motivate us to new and better decisions, we cannot live in the past, always looking behind us.

Life does not have a reverse gear, so there is nothing we can do about bad decisions and missed opportunities. We can live a cold, emotional experience, with few healthy relationships, because the “fire” of our life is suffocating on regret and shame.

In Philippians 3:13, Paul said he had to close the door on his past in order to grow into a bright future. Probably no one had more regrets than Saul of Tarsus. Although he was sincere, he did some of the most horrible things in defense of his religion. If he had not accepted Jesus’ death as the full atonement for his terrible sins, his life would have been spent in constant condemnation. He would not have enjoyed the refreshing fires of passion until he had taken out the “ashes” of his past experiences.

No matter how unpleasant it may seem, we must deal with the “clinkers” from the past in order to have fresh “fire” to live today. We must carry out the “ashes” of past sorrows by receiving God’s grace and forgiveness. We have to forgive those who have created pain in our lives, or our bitter memories will smother the oxygen right out of life. So don’t be afraid to ask your heavenly Father to show you how to remove the “clinkers” from your life so you can have a fresh, warm fire of desire for today!

This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Remove the ‘clinkers’ from your life, with God’s help, to embrace the day and look ahead."