The Triangle Bell

Anyone can see it when they walk down our front walkway.
It is on a post right near the laundry room door.
That is the door everyone sees first.
A little further down the walkway, our main front door can be found.

The laundry room door is the door my children came through every afternoon after school.
They could see me in the kitchen; a snack would be waiting for them.
It was the door they came through if they were playing outside.
A powder room is located in the laundry room, which was helpful when they were young.

An old cast iron bell is on top of the wooden post.
Besides loving the way it looks, I used it all the time when my children were young.
If they were riding bikes around the neighborhood, the bell called them home.
It could even be heard in the cul-de-sac at the top of our development.

I never had to raise my voice to call my children home.
They heard the bell and they came.
The other children in the neighborhood were used to the sound as well.
It was dinnertime at the Gallaghers.

The bell is not used like it was all those years ago.
The bell is still there.
It is still something that young children want to ring as they walk past.
It is still something I would ring if there was ever an emergency.

I often wondered if I needed a bell inside my house.
I had a certain way of calling my children to dinner.
DINNERRRRR was heard and brought them downstairs.
It was the tone and the inflection I used more than the word itself.

I still wondered if a hand-held bell would be a good idea.
The hand-held bell was an idea that never came to fruition.
The hand-held bell was never purchased.
My voice would have to do.

Another generation is beginning.
I thought about the bell because of our granddaughter and another grandbaby on the way.
Having a Bible study in my home was another reason I thought about the bell.
When twenty-seven women come to my home, I had to think of something.

The women like to have their tea and their coffee and talk a bit before we begin our Bible study.
I needed a way to get their attention.
I needed a way to gather them so that we could begin.
Just use your Mom voice, one of my children said.

Mom voice, indeed.
I wished I had a teacher’s voice that could call the women with ease.
I found a triangle dinner bell that would work just fine.
I purchased the wrought iron triangle bell and then had to decide what to do with it.

I hung it on the fireplace mantle with the cast iron pots that hang there.
It looked lovely, except I had to walk around all the women to get to the bell.
I had a wrought iron stand on which a lantern hung.
I gave the lantern to my newest daughter-in-love; I used the stand for my bell.

I still was not pleased.
The triangle bell had to be nearby.
The triangle bell had to be accessible.
I asked my husband if we could buy a hook so he could hang the bell for me.

We looked online and found the perfect wrought iron hook.
The dimensions said it would extend from the wall just the right amount.
We ordered the hook and it arrived the next day in a box with a smile on the side.
My husband got out his drill; ready for me to tell him where I wanted the bell hung.

He had a few suggestions.
I had my own ideas.
He held it up for me in various places.
I decided to hang the bell on a post that is between my kitchen and family room.

I can get to it easily, I told him.
We decided on the height so he could drill the appropriate holes.
Are you sure? He asked me, knowing me well.
I’m sure, I said as he began to drill one of two holes.

I watched my granddaughter the day after the triangle bell was hung.
Of course, we had to ring the bell.
She smiled, staring at this new thing that was not there the last time she was at Grandmas.
I can imagine the day when, with a little boost, she will be able to ring the triangle bell herself.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

Can you imagine?
Every time I look at the bell, I think about Jesus knocking on the door of a heart.
Can you hear Him knock?
Do you know how much He desires to have a meal with you?

It is not the meal itself as much as the fellowship with you that He desires.
The Lord Jesus is calling.
He wants to come in.
Those He calls will indeed answer Him.

Can you hear Him?
Will you open your heart’s door to Him?
He wants to gather His people and feast.
The bell is ringing.