The Unclogging Process

After two days of watching my enthusiastic relatives work to clear my basement pipes, I’m sad to say they remain clogged. Things other than pipes, however, have been unclogging.

It began as blog readers shared their plumbing adventures with me and each other. Nancy wrote, “We had rocking toilets, collapsing sewer pipes, root-clogged drainage pipes, and so much more. One time our shower water was not going down, so David took the entire drain apart. I went upstairs and looked at the ‘air hole’ under the faucet, which was full of hair. I pulled the hair out, and David, who was downstairs looking up, got a face full of water.”

But Nancy also wrote about clogs of a different sort, the things that clog relationships and inhibit the important back-and-forth flow of communication between two people: “God used our house issues to teach David and me how to communicate without sharp words and with lots of love. Just like frustration levels soar with blocked pipes, so other emotions can sneak in and [clog our relationship], leading to spilled words that don’t belong in a marriage.”

She described how sin between two people (or between one person and God) is hidden from view when it begins, and then unforgiven sin is the start of big-time clogs in the relationships. The Bible says we’re to be “quick to hear,” and if someone can’t hear what God or each other is saying because sin is clogging the way, relationships dry up in a hurry. The reverse is true, too. Where would we be without the ability to pour out our troubles to God?

Clean drain

Yesterday my sister mentioned a TV ad from long ago in which a clear acrylic drain trap under the sink was filled with gunk. When the drain-clearing product being advertised was poured into the acrylic pipe, we watched in amazement as the clog rushed away like a mini-roller coaster on a track, allowing clean water to flow freely through the pipe.

That’s exactly how it is when we keep current in our communication with God and each other. As soon as the slightest bit of goo accumulates in the lines between us, we should quickly route it out before it gets big enough to hinder the flow. If the talking-listening paths become as badly clogged as my basement pipes are, restoring the back-and-forth of open communication might take days or even weeks.

Possibly...

It may not happen at all without painful excavating, followed by major reconstruction…. which is exactly where I fear my basement pipe-project is going.

I have an ace-in-the-hole, though: Nancy.

If I become feeble in whatever plumbing process lies ahead of me, I can always email her voice of experience, and I know she’ll “hear me clearly.”

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)

Obstructed

Most of life’s crises begin so small they’re imperceptible. Whether it’s a cavity, a roof leak, or car trouble, in the beginning we know nothing.

Several months ago, I noticed our shower floor drain wasn’t draining as it should. Since this “beach shower” in the basement is the only shower we’ve got, I should have taken immediate action but ignored it for several more weeks. As it worsened, I thought pouring a gallon of bleach down the drain would help, but no.

Floor flood

More weeks passed, and the post-shower floor-puddle grew bigger and bigger. Eventually Nelson tried a plunger, followed by a toilet auger, then a liquid drain opener, and finally 25 feet of cable he purchased at Home Depot, hand-wound down the drain. But still it worsened with the water taking a full day to drain after each shower.

Eventually my neighbors came with a second cable, working in two linked floor drains, but the problem continued. We bought “the most powerful drain-unclogger in the world,” but the pipes responded by becoming 100% blocked.

*          *              *              *              *              *              *              *              *

When any of us first become aware a problem is brewing and have a chance to take quick action, we often don’t.  Our reasons seem valid at the time:

  • My car’s been running great for 75,000 miles. That little noise is probably nothing.
  • I had a physical exam a month ago. If this new pain was significant, the doctor would have caught it then.
  • That spark in the wall outlet was just a one-time thing.

It’s easy to subscribe to the quasi-truth that “no news is good news,” at least until telltale signs of trouble pop up: a dripping noise under the kitchen sink, a thermostat unwilling to hit 70, a dog incessantly scratching himself. Instead of tackling the problem head-on, though, it’s simpler to hope it’ll correct itself.

But our hearts know better.

Spiritually we function in much the same way. Maybe we let a couple of white lies slip out, knowing they’re wrong but planning to correct them later. Then when we find ourselves in a lie-littered disaster zone, we regret indulging in that first little fib. Or maybe we fudge on a tax form, promising to catch up next time and end up with penalties and interest many times the size of our original bill.

God gave each of us an early warning system to help us stay out of trouble: a conscience. He’s moving us to take action the minute we think, “I shouldn’t be doing this.” If we ignore that and plunge ahead, we’ll be on our way to a mountain of misery.

How far can we go...

Today my relatives arrived with a 50 foot rented, motorized cable, but after 4 hours of back-breaking effort, our sign still says, “No showers allowed.”

Stay tuned…

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

Money Talk

This afternoon when Nelson came in, we sat in the living room chatting while twilight gradually enveloped the neighborhood. As often happens, our talk gravitated to Scripture, and he mentioned an interesting prayer he’d read this morning from Proverbs 30: “Give me neither poverty nor riches.”

Money!

Question: Who in their right mind would pray against receiving riches?

It’s easy to nod in agreement when we hear the request against poverty. But riches too? Is that necessary?

We’ve all heard that money corrupts, and as much as we fantasize about having more of it, in our hearts we know it’s true. Nelson and I talked about several people we knew, both famous and not so much, who were ruined by riches. Of course most of us haven’t had the opportunity.

“Try us,” we say to God. “We could handle it.”

But once we had it, could we say with Scripture, “I don’t have to keep it”?

If we find ourselves loving money so much we can’t happily agree to surrender it, we’re opening ourselves to all kinds of trouble. The Bible says so. Money itself isn’t evil, just loving it is, The problem is, we know what wonderful things it could do for us. That’s why it’s so difficult to pray the wisdom of Proverbs: “Don’t give me riches.”

Nelson has long admired a Christian man named George Mueller (Muller) who was wild and wicked in his youth but then changed dramatically after committing his life to Christ at the age of 23. He took the Bible literally for the next 70 years and believed God meant it when he said nothing was impossible. Mueller became a preacher, missionary, educator, and the manager of multiple orphanages throughout the 1800’s.

George Mueller

He kept detailed records of every orphan and every penny given to support them and their schools, and those accountings can still be inspected today. He cared for over 10,000 children full time and educated more than 120,000 in his lifetime. Without asking anyone but God to meet their monetary needs, the Lord sent the equivalent of 9 million dollars through his hands.

And that’s the most interesting thing about this man who kept a healthy distance between himself and any love of money. His massive ministry needs were consistently met only by his asking God to pay the bills. And when too much came in, Mueller gave it away.

God isn’t any different today than he was in Mueller’s day, and each of us can rely on him for our provision. So why don’t we?

Nelson and I agreed that although we’re reluctant to pray Proverbs 8:30, Mueller had no problem with it and actually based his life on it: “Give me neither poverty nor riches.” And it worked out great for him.

“One man considers himself rich, yet has nothing [to keep permanently]; another man considers himself poor, yet has great [and indestructible] riches.” (Proverbs 13:7, Amplified)