Burning Bed

It had been a cold day (for Alabama), and now it was a crispy, cold night as I prepared to go to bed. It was Friday night, and I felt especially tired from a week of being the chauffeur, chef, and maid while still working my full-time job teaching.

Since it was so chilly, I turned on the electric blanket on my side of the bed. As I performed my nightly rituals, my mind reviewed the week, thought about Sabbath plans, and looked forward to climbing into a bed that would be toasty warm. However, my thoughts were interrupted by the smell of something burning.

This odor confused me because the fireplace was not on.

I looked around the room, checked the electric blanket, and did not see any smoke or source for the smell. I reasoned it must be a leftover smell from the fireplace and climbed gratefully into my toasty warm bed. My husband joined me just as I climbed into bed. I mentioned the smell, and he, too, noted it. He looked all over the blanket, the bed, and the room but couldn’t find a source for the smell. We chatted briefly, studied our Sabbath School lesson, prayed, and were soon fast asleep. Suddenly, around two o’clock in the morning, my husband cried, “Fire! Fire!” He quickly jumped out of bed.

I groggily woke up and realized that, indeed, the foot of our bed was on fire. The flames were shooting up. We worked together to extinguish the fire quickly. The process of extinguishing the flames took less than five minutes.

However, now we were wide awake.

The electric blanket had initiated the fire.

The earlier smell of something burning must have been a warning of the fire to come. Why did my husband wake up? What had caused his sleep to be disturbed? We talked about the dire consequences of not waking up —our children were upstairs sleeping blithely. What would have happened to them? Truly, “the angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them” (Psalm 34:7, NIV).

Although I am now a grandmother, I still praise God for His protective care for my family many years ago.

Edith C. Fraser