Are you clogged?

Blurp – gurgle – slosh! Instead of releasing the bath water down the open drain, the tub voiced its disapproval. I had no idea we had a clog in the pipe until it was too late. Now I had a tub full of sudsy water and no way to get rid of it.

This was just what I needed today. I had been on a cold medicine induced roller coaster for several days. My nerves were frayed and I was more than a little sensitive. So when a friend didn’t react the way I thought she should, I quickly choose to be offended.

That’s not fair!
Doesn’t she care about my feelings?
Why is it always my job? Doesn’t this matter to her?

Admittedly, this was not my finest hour.  Overwhelmed with frustration, I decided to soak in a nice hot tub. I needed time to think and, basically, feel sorry for myself. An hour later, still angry and hurt, I pulled the plug to drain the water but the tub refused to comply. Something was clogging the pipe. In that moment, God gave me a much needed change of perspective:

I was clogged with self-assurance.
My feelings were hurt and I was justified to feel the way I did, wasn’t I? Or was I so set on having my own way that I didn’t stop to consider there was another point of view? Maybe my way wasn’t the only way to do this.

I was clogged with self-righteousness.
Yes, my friend had disappointed me. But how many times have I disappointed other people? Disappointed God? She deserved the same forgiveness I had been given time and time again.

I was clogged with self-centeredness.
Were my feelings hurt because my expectations were unrealistic? Did I really know what she thought or felt about the situation? There could be more going on with her than I realized. 

Gradually I had become so clogged with ‘self’ that I wasn’t allowing God to flow through me at all but I didn’t realize it until it was completely blocked. I had taken my eyes off of God and focused on the things I wanted. Thankful for the new perspective, I asked God to push out the clog that blocked His mercy and grace. 

Have you been feeling a clog in your spirit? Has His love and mercy been freely flowing through you or do you have a little ‘self’ blocking the way? Just like purging the buildup in a pipe, we can allow God to remove the ‘self-clog’ so His love could flow through… no plumber required!

Be blessed,

Jennifer

  “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:38