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underneath


The drain in my bathroom sink had been rather slow for a long time. Last week, I decided to do something about it. I removed the stopper and took a plunger to it, hoping to push free whatever was hampering the flow of water down the drain. I pushed and pulled and plunged and splashed and the longer I did so, the more black chunks of really putrid, unidentifiable scum surfaced in my sink. My solution to this was to vigourously plunge in and plunge more. The black chunks got bigger and lumpier and I was getting slightly grossed out looking at them, so I turned on the tap to rinse them away.
Oh oh! The sink began to fill with filthy chunky water and nothing was draining, not even slowly. I plunged and splashed and managed to filthify most everything within 2 feet, but all to no avail. The drain was now completely plugged. Hardly the results I had been looking for. I drove to the store and picked up my second line of assault: Drano. I poured half the bottle into the standing water in the sink and closed the door so the cats would not be tempted to sniff or paw their way to an early grave. An hour later, the air in the bathroom made my eyes water, but the black filth hadn't moved so I emptied the rest of the bottle into the slough. Another hour without movement and I was beginning to think that I should never have messed with it in the first place. Slow is better than nothing at all, right?
Wrong! Often I have seen a problem that needs working on in my life, like a relationship conflict, an over-reaction, a twinge of pain or jealousy, or a weakness of character, and so I jump in and tackle it, trying to make things clear and right. So many times it appears that I just muddy the waters and dredge up all kinds of stuff that make things seem worse than before. And short term, things are much worse. In fact, they often come to a standstill and it seems like I hit a brick wall or a big gross clog. But that is not the time to stop and walk away; that is the time to go to phase two and reach for the powerful stuff! Within 4 hours my sink was clean and clear and better than ever before. The stains from the struggle were easily wiped away and I no longer had to live just getting by, compensating for the hindrance. I could now turn on the water full force for as long as I wanted!
Where are you unable to go full force? Go ahead, tackle the problem. Don't be afraid when filth rises to the surface. Don't be discouraged by blockage. Get help: ask others to pray for you, confess sins to one another, live under the grace of Jesus, change your attitude and actions, realise that the blood of Jesus is more powerful than any filthy mess, and don't give up!
This is the underside of an umbrella on the terrase of a pub in Saint John, New Brunswick.
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