I really felt led to expand on the first part of the lesson from yesterday. I did, after thinking about it awhile, realize that I have, like many others, been living life like I was fixing pipes. It seems like, as I did, spent all day fixing a water pipe that went noplace. Now there are other problems that went along with it like the fact that I had to do something with that line. Either I had to fix it or I had to bypass it.
I related it to my spiritual life when I realized that when we are in obeyance, servatude, and of one accord with Him, blessings from God can be like water flowing through the pipes. Blessings will flow to wherever we build a line, but, when we build those lines that stray from God we really cause ourselves problems. Jesus said that He was the way, the truth, and the light. He is the light unto our feet and light unto our path. When we stray or "T" off of His main line, we walk into darkness and end up nowhere.
Just like a path in a park, Gods' path, although narrow, can be well groomed fairly accurately and quickly with some dicipline (prayer, studying the Word) because there is light. But as we move away from God, things get darker, we cannot see as well (fix our eyes upon him), and therefore have more mistakes as we move increasingly slower. Just like doing yard work, if you spend all week pulling grass out of a weed bed, you'll end up with a dirt bed full of weeds and no lawn to show for it. My point:
Shut off and leave the lines in life that lead you astray from the main flow of God and go to nowhere, but let Him and His wonderous blessings flow to the rest of your house. Praise Him in all things, peaks and valleys, and magnify His name.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Pipes, Bibles, and God!
I said I had hoped to bring a laugh to some, and I think this is it. On the 23rd, our hot water froze, and early in the morning the cold froze too. I knew it was supposed to be warm the next few days so I wasn't really worried. But then it happened, sometime during the day, Christmas Eve, while I was at work, they burst. Or at least the hot water did. So I had to get the water company out to shut off the water. But we went to the family Christmas and spent the day with friends and family, and had a great time.
So, yesterday rolls around and about 10 AM, I go out and get under the house. Get this picture.....a SLIGHTLY overwieght, middle-aged man. trying to fit into a maybe 18 inch crawl space through about a 15X15" square hole in the foundation. So I get in and waller around in the fresh mud and water until I see the culprit. An obviously cracked pipe going into the house from the water heater. I climb out and go to the hardware store to buy a piece of pipe and some connectors...then glue for the pipe....then a saw to cut the pipe (which I paid almost six dollars for then found the same one for less than 4 at Wal-Mart). I got home, rebuilt the piece, crawled and wallered into position, glued it, crawled out waited 30 minutes, turned the water on, and TADAH... it didn't fix anything. I turned the water off.
I know that only certain people will understand when I say, I have trouble figuring out how to get a gas pump to work. But at this point I had determined that the only way, by myself to figure out exactly where the leak was, was to turn the water on, sprint across the yard, get under the house, look at the pipes, get out, sprint back and shut the water off. I DON'T SPRINT!!! But I found the leaky pipe then turned the water off and got back under there. I saw where the pipes went to the kitchen, to the tub and shower, to the bathroom sink and stool, but....and there is always a but...the one that was busted went to nothing! It was just there as near as I can figure. Imagine all day trying to fix a pipe to nowhere!!!
So I went and bought a shut off valve, glued it and the problem is fixed (well, don't tell the wife but it may be to the dishwasher). But I did learn a lesson from it, after a calming period. That lesson is really two: First, KISS, don't spend a day fixing something that goes nowhere, and second, it is the easiest thing to understand that we generally turn into the hardest. That applies to pipes, the Bible, and God. I guess that is our, as humans, nature to overthink and analyze what is obvious or written. AMEN!
So, yesterday rolls around and about 10 AM, I go out and get under the house. Get this picture.....a SLIGHTLY overwieght, middle-aged man. trying to fit into a maybe 18 inch crawl space through about a 15X15" square hole in the foundation. So I get in and waller around in the fresh mud and water until I see the culprit. An obviously cracked pipe going into the house from the water heater. I climb out and go to the hardware store to buy a piece of pipe and some connectors...then glue for the pipe....then a saw to cut the pipe (which I paid almost six dollars for then found the same one for less than 4 at Wal-Mart). I got home, rebuilt the piece, crawled and wallered into position, glued it, crawled out waited 30 minutes, turned the water on, and TADAH... it didn't fix anything. I turned the water off.
I know that only certain people will understand when I say, I have trouble figuring out how to get a gas pump to work. But at this point I had determined that the only way, by myself to figure out exactly where the leak was, was to turn the water on, sprint across the yard, get under the house, look at the pipes, get out, sprint back and shut the water off. I DON'T SPRINT!!! But I found the leaky pipe then turned the water off and got back under there. I saw where the pipes went to the kitchen, to the tub and shower, to the bathroom sink and stool, but....and there is always a but...the one that was busted went to nothing! It was just there as near as I can figure. Imagine all day trying to fix a pipe to nowhere!!!
So I went and bought a shut off valve, glued it and the problem is fixed (well, don't tell the wife but it may be to the dishwasher). But I did learn a lesson from it, after a calming period. That lesson is really two: First, KISS, don't spend a day fixing something that goes nowhere, and second, it is the easiest thing to understand that we generally turn into the hardest. That applies to pipes, the Bible, and God. I guess that is our, as humans, nature to overthink and analyze what is obvious or written. AMEN!
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