Spiritual Draino?

Tonight's thought might be a little gross, a whole lot of random, but definitely honest.  It's a work in progress as I am most definitely a work in progress.  Thankfully I think we all are so I won't feel too bad about myself.

So by now you're probably asking why the nasty picture.  Well it's my illustration.  In the past I've used cute father/son tandem bike rides and others nicer images, but tonight this is the image that I feel to share about.

Let me start with this.  I AM NOT a plumber.  Not even close, but recently I had to play that role as our bathroom sink was not draining.  In the past I would get a bottle of Drano and would let it work it's magic.  During this last blockage I did not have access to the store and felt a little inspired to be manly and fix this problem without the help of my magic helper so I took the pipes under the sink off with enough faith to believe that God would give the wisdom to know how to put it all back together without extra parts. Thankfully He did.  What I found once I took things apart was a bit surprising to me though.  I'm not sure what I expected to see that was clogging the pipes, but as you can see it was not pretty.  After a number of months the piped in our sink became clogged with long hair from people bruising their hair and it fell in the sink.  Also there was stubble from me shaving and this was caked together with probably a combination of washed off make up and toothpaste and other objects that seem to have been dropped and fell in the drain.  None of this is necessarily a bad thing or intentionally destructive thing, but over time and piled on top of each other they formed a fairly solid wall and blockage for the drain of our bathroom sink that even water could not penetrate.

Here's my point:  I wonder how easy it is or how quickly we allow these "blockages" to happen in our spiritual walk?  We fill our lives.  We fill our lives with "not bad" things.  Our lives get clogged and then things pile up and we can become overwhelmed as our sink fills up and potentially overflows.  Much like my example what piles up can be not bad things in and of themselves, but is it possible that they can create a spiritual blockage of sorts?  Not to say that God can't get to us anytime, but can I have times where I feel spiritually clogged or blocked up and disconnected from God because of the things I allow to consume my time, my thoughts, my finances, my emotions, etc???

One of my favourite verses in Scripture is James 1:27.  It says this:
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself to be polluted from the world."

Hmmm? Pollutants?
We treat being busy like a badge of honour, but can it be a pollutant that creates a blockage between us and God?
Money.  Not evil in and of itself, but do we allow it to create a blockage between us and God?
Our relationships.  Good things that are blessings in our lives, but put on the pedestal that belongs to God even the most beloved people in our lives can be blockages between us and God.
Our past.  Technology.  People's opinions and the list can go on and on... What things are we allowing to be pollutants in our lives and creating those times where we know God is with us, but we just can't seem to feel in the flow with our Heavenly Father?

Let me encourage you (and me) with this.  If you're in a place where the pipe seem to be clogged spiritually and the only way you can explain your relationship with God is that there seems to be a "blockage" between you and Him, address it.  Don't let it get worse and worse.  Trust me, it will be messier in the long run as we allow more crud to get in.

Allow your praise to press in hard and push that "blockage" on it's way as God's spirit flows.  Get in God's Word even though you don't understand what you read and you always seem to be met with resistance.  STOP and make time to be quiet in God's presence to listen.  Sometimes it takes more effort and we must push through  like that magical elixir, Drano.

Then there are other times when you just need to take things apart, clean and dig the junk out and reset.

This feels like that scripture in Proverbs that speaks to "iron sharpening iron".  Step back.  Address the issue, fix it (or work the process with God and other believers) and dig it out.  Get the mess out and then put it back together.

Life can be messy.  That's OK.  I have to believe that Jesus is not afraid of the mess.  He touched the leper, played in the mud to heal the blind and laid down His life on the cross for us.  He's not overwhelmed by our messes even if they've collected for a bit and clogged some drains.  Seek Him and get things clear from the inside out today.

Thoughts on (G)loving people...

This might be a bit of a broken up, dishevelled post, but I'll be honest up front.  The title is pretty much what this is all about.  This post is simply my thoughts on an opportunity that The Joy Network (Joy Cares) of 96.5 JoyFM had today.  For a few weeks we have been promoting an event called "We Glove You 2" where many of our JoyFM listeners stepped up to donate warm items for us to give to many who are in need of the services offered at the homeless shelter and food kitchen.

We took those items today and were able to connect with many individuals and this post will simply be my highlights of the two hours we spent at this event.

1) It was cold:  First off this is definitely not a complaint.  In no way will I ever grumble about standing in the cold for two hours while we are serving those who will have to spend much more time in it than I ever will.  I will say though that being cold was a powerful reminder of the life that some have  been forced to lead and that I need not complain.  Perhaps the blunt, but honest reminder is that when I am tempted to complain I should just "shut up and serve"... perhaps?

2) I felt broken for many:  Two conversations that I had really messed me up were with a couple of men that I was blessed to stop and talk to.  You see standing across a table from people and just handing them stuff just seems incomplete to me.  I have to "connect".  You'll hear that word a lot from me moving forward.  One man collected some items, but really needed a pair of size 10 boots.  So now my mission is to find this man some size 10 winter boots.  He was so appreciative of all that we had to offer him and I told him that I would be back hopefully very soon with some boots for him.

Another man that I was able to chat with was a classic story of a many who seemingly had it all, but was distracted by habits and choices that took him off track and now is living the consequences of his choices.  His attitude was very good though as he is now looking to get to the point where he can work again and serve those around him.  This was a gentle reminder that none of us are exempt from life's trials and temptations.  I'm grateful to God for his protection... especially when that protection is from myself.

3) "I have no pants":  I won't go into the details of this story, but this was one individuals response when we asked if there was anything we could do for them.  Think about that statement for a few seconds and let the reality of it sink in.  This wrecked me as I considered it.  This is North America and yet this statement reflects someones reality.  God help us to reach out!!! I'll stop there.

4)  Last but not least is a song that one lady was singing as we were handing out items (to her and others) which was nice on a cold day where complaining again could creep in.  The power of this moment was not in her voice or even us handing out items, but in the song that she was singing near the end.  Tell me if you've heard this one:

"When peace like a river attendeth my way. 

When sorrows like sea billows roll.

Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, 

it is well, it is well with my soul".

Need I say more?