we have a leaky pipe... a five year old water leak that was supposed to have been fixed by our builder shortly after we moved in. yeah, it's that kind of leak; an annoying one. we thought it was fixed when they said it was (shame on us for being trusting). unbeknownst to us, water has been dripping and dripping every day for over five years increasing our bill, seeping into our yard, the neighbors yard, destroying grass and concrete. just recently it's become worse and brought to the forefront of our attention. after an unlovely discovery we realized they "fixed" it years ago by pouring a load of sand over the pipes to absorb the water. makes sense right? i mean, instead of replacing the pipe with the hole in it, just pour sand on it and cover it up... that's logical. hmm.
i got to thinking... we do this in our own lives all the time. we pour sand on our leaks, we cover-up our issues just to get by...
we fix our insecurities with a new haircut or outfit.
satisfy our longings with the latest and greatest whatever.
fill our discontent with more want.
instead of talking through things, we turn on a tv show.
fill our emptiness with calories.
drown our sorrow in a cheesy chick-flick just to forget about it for awhile.
replace the guilt of our sins with good deeds.
we satisfy our heaven-sent desires and wavering emotions with the wrong things... i bet God is thinking we're a lot like the builder... pouring sand on our leaky pipes, rather than getting to the heart of the matter and replacing the pipe... we think we're pretty good at the cover-up; rather than turning to our Creator, finding the root of our issues; finding grace; finding healing; the fulfillment of our every desire.
"...but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14 ESV
"...but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14 ESV
i opted for a picture of pretty branches instead of a leaky pipe. ; )
26 {comments}:
Beautiful... So true, I love posts like this one, good soul searching stuff!
Carissa
Such a great reminder...and a wonderful illustration! Thanks for bringing the need to come to God, and not to ourselves, back to the forefront of our minds!
Such a perfect analogy! It's not about self, that's the bottom line. When we take our eyes off Christ, it becomes just that. Great post!
Oh so true. And the sand never stays in one spot. It's always showing another fault or insecurity. I hope you get everything fixed quickly.
Carissa...wow, I really needed this today. You have no idea how much that "sand pouring" sounds just like me. I think I've done every single thing on your list recently. You're right though, you are. I sincerely appreciate this post and thank you for unknowingly clarifying a lot of things for me. He always knows how to speak to me...and by this, He led me to your post. I'm amazed. Thank you so much again and I hope that your leak is fixed soon.
Much love.
Great post! And very timely for me today. Don't you just love how God works?!
Great post and great point! Thanks for this. :)
Thank you! So much truth to it too.
truth girl...speak it. this was pure truth! glad it was a pic of pretty branches:)
Great, humbling reminder. Thanks for this today~ and hope your pipe gets fixed... that's no fun!
Great post! I tend to do a lot of covering up, but I'm trying to learn to get to the root of things. Hope your pipe gets fixed soon! And the right way too!
So true - thank you for this post...kind of exactly what I needed today
I so needed to read this today, what a great reminder..thank you.
And, sorry about your leaky pipe!
So true. Thanks for sharing. And hope your leaky pipe is fixed soon.
love this post! thank you for sharing inspiration on a dreary thursday in hawaii :)
replace the guilt of our sins with good deeds - this struck a chord with me...
Thanks for a thought-provoking post. As usual, I needed it ;) Love your insight...
Ouch! that was as good as a sermon my dear! Lots of soul searching needed here. THanks for the prompt!
So, so sorry about the pipe. How aggravating!
Thinking of you and wishing for you a wonderful "Mommy's Day."
Love this! I think we all need to be reminded of this sometimes.
Hope that pipe gets fixed soon-- or at least some more sand. ;)
Such a great illustration! 1st, darn builder! I hate that they cut corners and think it's okay.
2nd, I can't even count how many times I've just put sand over things to cover them up. It's funny we think it's so much easier, a quick fix, yet all it does it let the problem grow and fester to the point of it bursting, when all God wants us to do is turn it over to Him to fix it completely.
Thank you, I'm gonna read it again to have it truly sink it.
Thank you for sharing that moment of revelation...I do this all of the time. Time to replace the pipe :) Good luck with your leak too.
Eye-opening post! So, I can begin to recognize how I'm covering things up. Just not sure how to change it and give it to God. Hmmm. I'm sure being conscious of it is at least a start. Thank you!
tis true...so relating to everything you just wrote. bummer about the leaky pipe. I do hope the builder takes care of it.
and YES! i was wearing your dress but it looks much better on you my friend!
I agree with some of the other commenters! He always knows just what I need to hear and when! As I begin my journey back to Him, you've helped me to again examine the ways in which I "cover things up" in my own life instead of lifting them up.
Thank you for a timely and thought-provoking post!
Oh Carissa, we are dealing with something similar in our bathroom. They came today to "fix" our ceiling that has mildew on it, he brought a can of spray paint to spray over it to cover it up! Mike told him "you're going to need a lot more than just that to fix it!"
sidenote- thanks for the encouragement... I call it my "church smile", telling everyone that everything is perfect but I've been working on it! :)
Oh no definitely praying you can get that pipe fixed!
And what a powerful analogy God gave you!! So full of truth! It's more painful to let God replace the pipe, but definitely worth it all in the long run! Much love to you and Happy Mother's Day dear!
I love when God teaches us lessons through random life happenings. So true - He is the only one who can truly fill us.
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