Taking the Plunge(r)
I need to warn you: This is going to be a really crappy message.
When you have taken care of business, and you hit the handle on the commode, and you don’t hear the same familiar gush and swoosh of water you are accustomed to, but rather you hear a sudden stop of the flow and a strange hissing sound, we all know you had better act fast because the toilet is stopped up and the “water” is rising. If you don’t take action, the overflow is going to be nasty and an embarrassing cleanup at hand.
I’m sure many of you guys reading this have an impressive array of tools in your garage or shed. Sets of shiny, metal ratchets and drivers, power tools, wonderful treasures from ToolWorld. Some of you may have a well-stocked metal box with the obligatory tray while some of you have the whole NASCAR rig on rollers with 16 drawers and a pneumatic compressor. (Insert Tim Allen grunt.)
But when the commode is clogged, none of those cool tools will work. Nothing can replace that coned, hollow piece of rubber on a short stick. Oh, sure, they’ve tried to fool us into thinking the multi-flanged, space-age plastic one is worth the extra $10, but let’s face it, the plunger has not changed nor improved since its inception because of one reason—it works.
As men, it is so easy for us to get our souls clogged up before we know it and then one day we, along with all those around us, start to smell the funk as the water begins to rise, along with all the excrement from our lives we have pushed down for far too long. Way too long.
When this begins to happen, the new buzz-book, the trendy podcast, an extra service at church, or even a talk with a good friend can’t be the tool that plunges and unclogs the back-up we’ve allowed in our souls. While great helps, these don’t work for this level of job.
No, only one thing is going to be effective and it has never been, nor will it ever be, improved upon—a no distractions, no time limit, guts-out, no-holds-barred, full-on honest session with your Heavenly Father. Excuse me for this, but only He can unclog the crap from our lives. Especially when we have ignored the rising water and the floor is already covered with “overflow.” Only He can remove the smut and glut we have accumulated and replace it with fresh, purified Living Water. So …
When was the last time you took the time to really pour out your soul to Jesus?
When was the last time tears came out of your eyes?
When was the last time you realized you had had enough and had no choice but to clean out the pipes of your soul, if you were going to survive?
I’m going to give you the keys to a brand new toolbox today for soul clogs, courtesy of my good friend and personal counselor, Dr. Ed Laymance. He has created some amazing and effective resources and made them available free on his site. If today’s topic touched you, I encourage you to especially look at the one called Flushing. Click here.
A psalm of David. Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. —Psalm 32:1-5 NLT
1 comment
Shawn January 26, 2017
Thanks for posting this! It was much needed. I also loved your 3 Practical Steps to forgiving yourself Post. May God Bless you, your family and friends as well as your online ministry. In Jesus' name we Pray ~ Amen