While you’ve been out today, did you avoid potholes? We try to avoid them all the time. We see them from afar and we steer our vehicle to go around or to straddle them. If they’re too big and we’re going too fast, we regret not noticing them. We think, “Oh that’s great for the car!” The same holds true of our spiritual journey on earth.
God tells us how to live. And if we pay attention to him and follow his good path (which is for our good) we’ll avoid the potholes in life. If we’re not paying attention and simply sailing through life we’ll hit the potholes. And the longer we ignore them, the more frequent they occur and the more damage they do.
Let’s compare physical potholes to spiritual potholes:
Physical potholes form after water has seeped into the ground under the pavement. When the water freezes it expands and gives shift to the ground and pavement and causes it to bend and crack. When it thaws, the ground then contracts. The pavement becomes marred and cracked from this freezing and thawing. Over time, the pressures of vehicles cause break-aways. The break-aways leave the gaping holes known as potholes. The very potholes we try our best to avoid and we hope someone comes to repair them.
Spiritual potholes occur when we’re not filled with God’s living water, i.e., his word. Instead we’re filling ourselves with cistern water—water that we forge with our own hands. Each day our feet hit the floor and the agenda leads our day. Before we know it it’s the evening hours and we’re thinking about winding down our day with all our evening routines. We fall into bed thinking, tomorrow will be different—only to have a rinse and repeat of the same thing. This can go on 365 days of the year and can move from one year to the next.
All the while God is calling out to us, “I have fresh, living water. Come drink of the living water I have. Spend time with me.” Instead… we push on with our good intentions. One day goes into the next, one year to the next. The oncoming trials of life causes our cistern water to freeze and thaw. At this point we typically try pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We buckle up to bear down and bear it—and we become marred. Our cistern water causes our foundation to succumb to the pressures of trials. And gaping potholes form from the cracked, displaced foundations.
Healing needs to take place. At any point we could’ve turned to the living water for healing. And at this point we still can. If we delay, or (sadly) never turn to him, damage continues as we rinse and repeat. The freezing and thawing of our trials continue. Then bitterness takes root in this ground work that we allowed to form. Gaping holes become evident to all around as we walk with a limp—hoping that no one notices. We become a walking testimony of what not to do. It’s a sad testimony… unless we turn to the Lord, the living water for his healing to make us whole again. When we do… he gets the glory as he heals and refreshes us. And we become a hopeful testimony to others. We can then encourage and help them to avoid the spiritual potholes in their life. If we don’t turn to the living water, others can still learn from our limps—even if we won’t.
The news of this Hump-Day is that we need not limp. We need not have pot holes. Stay filled with the living water that can sustain any trial and keep you intact. He will sustain you and you will glorify him as he leads you in and through your trials. He will lead your path, and walk with you. He is a lamp unto our path and a light to our feet. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He’s our anchor in life. Seek him first, before your feet hit the floor. Ask him to fill you, to guide you, to help you and sustain you through your day.
I pray whenever you try to avoid potholes that you’ll be reminded of this scenario. I pray you’ll remember to be filled with God’s living water—every day and avoid the potholes in your life!
This Hump-Day remember… Friday is a comin’ but most importantly—Christ is coming back too!