For the last few weeks I have had a dripping kitchen sink tap and if you have ever had one, you will know how annoying it is. Not only did it make the most irritating continuous sound but it also cost me a lot of wasted money in loss of water. Despite me putting a bucket under the tap, most times I would get back into the house and it would be overflowing which means there has been a spillage not only of this valuable resource but of money literally going down the drain where I was being charged for something I was not utilising. Contacting a few plumbers, their first response would always be to replace the tap and change it completely which would cost at least £200. Living in a relatively newly built home, I was very reluctant to do that because the tap within itself is actually still shiny and new and surely there had got to be a way just to correct that mechanism. Thankfully I eventually got a plumber today who was prepared to simply replace the little elements that needed to be fixed and instantly there is no more dripping, no more leaks! And at a tiny fraction of the price!:-)
This got me to think about the various areas of our lives where we are ready to give up on something because it is not operating at its optimum, where it seems to have some leaks operating in it, and how we have become a generation of instant replacement, out with the old and in with the new. We have convinced ourselves that new is always better and rather than repairing many of the things and areas of our lives where we are no longer getting the optimum benefit or results, we simply trade it in for a newer model. A new car, a new husband, a new wife, a new job, any signs of dripping or leakage and we are out of there like a lightening bolt. Do not get me wrong, there are definitely many times we need to replace and upgrade things but we as a society waste millions of pounds globally in getting rid of goods when the problem with them is something minor that can simply be fixed. Many times we throw the baby out with the bath water and waste valuable financial resources where they could have been better spent elsewhere.
I began to think about Jesus who as he walked in this life never gave up on the people he came across. He was a very controversial person because he hung out and spent his time with all the “leaky characters” you can think of. He would spend time with the tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers of society, those who were irritating, annoying and had been spit out by society as good for nothing. What amazes me is that at the end of it all, these people always came out whole, full and complete with love, healing, peace and the ability for then positively impact others in their communities. This afternoon I am calling out to those who will be like Jesus and give others a second chance, those who will stick to people through thick and thin and help to see them through things. Those who will weather the storms of life with a struggling friend, child or partner and see them through a difficult and challenging time in their lives. I am convinced that when we develop that dedication and loyalty in key areas of our lives such as finances, health and our relationships, we come out stronger with more solid grounding to be able to take on anything that life brings us. Wholeness and completeness is what Jesus died on the cross for us for. As you identify and reflect on the areas of your life where there have been dripping and leaking I pray that there be a recovery of all that has been lost in that area of your life in Jesus mighty name. As you gain new insights and strategies of how to resolve the situations I declare Wholeness and Restoration in the name of Jesus!
No more dripping! No more Leaks!.