I'm going to start in the middle of the story...with my husband sitting on our basement floor covered in human feces with a coil stuck in our plumbing. I watched him for hours try and pull the coil out. I watched as his strength drained more and more. I stood there as he sat broken and discouraged. I felt helpless, unable to help him I started to pray.....my mind switched from temporal to eternal. I thought of how we as believers struggle and strain with life's problems. Maybe there is blockage or bondage in our spiritual plumb line.
As Jon continued to strain and struggle, I continued to pray. Little by little the coil began to come out. Hope lightened the mood and I shared with Jon that I was praying hardcore. I watched as with renewed strength and determination he pulled the coil out in tiny little sections. We started talking and I stopped praying (sounds like alot of the prayer meetings I have been to )...the coil stopped coming out. Jon looked at me and said "you stopped praying didn't you?" It felt ridiculous to be completely dependent upon the Lord for a coil stuck in our plumbing system. Instead of rationalizing, I just started praying again...and the coil started coming out again!!! Hmmmm...imagine that... I sat there humbled as I realized how completely dependent upon him we really are. We literally can do NOTHING apart from Christ...but through Him we can do all things. So in short this isn't just some little blog about plumbing but rather living every second of our life dependent upon Jesus. You see, God was far more interested in teaching Jon and I about complete dependency upon him than our plumbing...but he used it!!! God will use anything to take His childs face into His hands and whisper "Lean on me, Come to me!!!" If you are struggling today with sin, bondage, doubt, a troubled marriage, or drought...if the roots of this world have seeped into your plumb line of faith. Find a brother or sister who strong in this season...You can't live out this faith alone!! Ask them to come alongside of you and with the strength of the Lord pull those roots out. The end product when Jon finally pulled the coil out was a ball of roots and feces...Sometimes friends that is what is lodged in our hearts..
You see without me Jon would have sat alone in human feces discouraged...without hope. I helped him carry the load...no pun intended :) I even felt incredibly helpless watching him struggle...watching as his strength was giving out.......If you see a brother or sister struggling with sin or carrying a burden by themselves get in there....GET MESSY!!!!!
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ESV)
Today there is a huge mess all over the floor to clean up and an eventual 3,000 dollars that will be payed for a new plumbing system....but eternal lessons were learned. We have bleach and serve Jehovah Jireh- God will provide!!! Thank you Lord for strengthening our faith and teaching us the importance of community and dependency upon you!!!
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