Burp – 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.
I am not normally a tub person, but after having my feelings hurt in a conversation with a friend, I decided to take a bath. I needed time to think and, to be honest, feel sorry for myself. An hour later, still frustrated 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 provided a much-needed change of perspective:
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? Was she truly indifferent to my situation? Or did she have burdens of her own? I hadn’t asked about her…
I had become so clogged with ‘self’ that I wasn’t allowing God to flow through me, but I didn’t realize it until it was completely blocked. I had taken my eyes off of God and focused only on how I felt. Thankful for the new perspective, I asked God to push out the clog that blocked His mercy and grace and chose to forgive my friend.
Have you felt 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