June 17, 2002

THE TRAGEDY OF CENTRALIA*

Centralia is a small town in the middle of Pennsylvania that owes its existence to the coal-mining industry. A rich vein of coal, containing about 40 million tons, lies under the town and its environs. Centralia has always lived by coal, and now it seems to be slowly dying by coal.

More than forty years ago someone threw some smoldering trash down one of the mine shafts. This started a fire that has been burning ever since. Experts from the mining industry and from the Federal government have repeatedly tried to put out the fire, but every attempt has failed. There's no shortage of fuel, and the fire will probably burn on indefinitely.

Of course, this has had drastic effects on the quality of life in Centralia. Over 1100 people lived there at one time; now only fifteen stubborn, resourceful old-timers still inhabit the place.

All businesses have closed, including food markets, bars, schools and service stations. Foul-smelling smoke is constantly emitted from cracks in the ground. If snow falls, it immediately melts because of the subterranean heat. Two large sink holes have appeared, each 150 feet deep. Home, sweet home!

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Some people are like Centralia. A long-ago event, maybe as small as the unfortunate dumping of smoldering trash, has remained unresolved. By this time, we might expect the incident to be a dim memory, but we would be wrong. Fueled by an inexhaustible supply of self-pity and misdirected longings, the fire has spread and intensified. It may be forty years later, possibly even more, but the inner smoldering continues.

At times the burning inside subsides to embers. But then, without warning an incident or an interaction with someone seems to fan the flames, and the flare-up can be intense.

Quietly, constantly, the burning continues. Over the years, it changes the landscape of the person's life. Smoke oozes out and fouls the atmosphere. People who come close aren't sure why, but they feel in danger, and they begin to pull away. Only the most stubborn friends still hang around. The person's life more and more resembles a ghost town.

That's what happens when we allow anger, hurt and other bad feelings to smolder within us. The fire might have been quickly put out at first, but if we ignore it, we may be in for a lifetime of heat and smoke and bad smells.

The Bible strongly encourages us to deal quickly and thoroughly with feeling flare-ups. If we become angry, we should not let the sun set before we settle the matter. We should be up front in straightening out misunderstandings or hurtful words, whether we are the offender or the one offended against.

It's clear, though, that this isn't always possible. Often the person who threw the burning trash down into our inner self is beyond our reach, maybe even dead and gone. Fortunately, God is the real Pro at putting out such fires. When we ask him in, he gets to the very bottom of the problem, far deeper than we can go ourselves. There he thoroughly extinguishes the blaze, and the process of cooling and restoration can finally begin.

Are there old, smoldering fires deep within you? Don't ignore them. And don't think you can douse them yourself and put them out. Call in the Pro. Be perfectly honest with him and watch him go to work.

*Based on an article in the LA Times, June 10, 2002.

–Pastor George Van Alstine