What do you know about Old Faithful? Like me, you probably know some bare facts –a geyser that blasts hot water from the ground in regular spurts to the delight of visitors to Yellowstone National Park. This is all true, of course. 4 million people visit the site every year to see thousands of gallons of water and steam shoot into the air nearly 200 feet. The eruptions take place about 20 times a day and can be predicted to within 10 minutes with a 90% confidence rate. That is some serious consistency.

Let me share one more crazy thing about that famous water-shooter. Some see Old Faithful as a symbol of steady regularity that will remain unchanged for centuries to come. Geologists warn otherwise. Below the surface, most of Yellowstone isa chaotic mess of pressure, fragility, and intense heat. Scientists have discovered that the whole area sits on a super volcano. If Yellowstone were to blow its top, all of the North American continent would be covered in ash – most of it deadly.

There are brothers and sisters in every church that resemble that famous geyser. They have been steady and reliable for years. You can see their handiwork everywhere – they organize programs, teach classes, scrub floors – whatever needs to be done for God’s family. Every church I know relies on a group of people like this who can be trusted to show up early and often. Like Old Faithful, you can predict with great accuracy when they are going to make another splash.

This is where the geyser has some things to teach us. Even the steadiest member in our ranks might have a build up of magma just below a fragile crust. Their service to the Lord might release the pressure for a time, but the deeper tensions remain. Sometimes the very fact that the church counts on them adds to the burden.

Here’s a good rule of thumb: assume that everybody (even the rock-solid, faithful member) is close to a tipping point. Let’s speak to each other carefully, knowing that the human heart is a fragile cap over emotions that are poised to erupt. In Proverbs we hear:

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Proverbs 12:25, ESV

What happens when other words (not a “good word”) are used? What happens to a person who hears criticism rather than gratitude? What happens when earnest service is met with no words at all? The anxiety that weighs a person down can fuel an eruption… the careless word from you or me can light the fuse.

The words we say to each other matter. Let’s assume that everyone needs to hear a good word from you. The faithful servants among us are precious and they might be carrying burdens we cannot see. Help them erupt with gladness.