On burst water pipes and other such things

 After yesterday's post, I've just been feeling really horrible. It's hard, when you really start to look at some of the yuck that goes on in the world, not to feel yuck. Does that make sense?

With researching for that post, plus hearing about what happened to a poor baby in China (no I won't link it, you can find out if you want to, but it was just awful) my heart just heart a lot. I prayed about it all. But at the same time, it all just felt a bit too much.

I've been thinking about those people who picket abortion clinics, write petitions, wave flags, and march in protests, and wondering if that's what needs doing? But I've often wondered, if it's easy to let that kind of thing, become your religion, and your passion, your driving force... instead of Him? And that's not what I want. I'm not trying to put down what other people do, but at the same time I guess I just don't know that Jesus would be organizing protests, or writing petitions if He was here. He just seemed to live. And love people.

I want to be passionate. I want to help. I want to make the world a better place. I think I need to. I think we are all called to do different things, have different passions. But I think we are supposed to keep God at the very center of our focus.

Say you have a burst water pipe in your kitchen. There's water spilling everywhere and it's a huge mess. You can get as many towels as you can, and soak up as much water as you can and use up a lot of time and energy. You can devote your whole life to all that water in your kitchen. But unless you go to the source of the mess (the burst pipe), all you'll be doing is cleaning up a mess. Forever. You need to call in the plumber to fix the broken pipe. Once he comes in, and fixes the source of the problem, you're much less likely to have water everywhere. You can make the call, you can do everything you can to help the plumber in his job, and you can do your best at the damage control. But ultimately, the fix is up to the plumber and the pipe.

I think the world is a lot like that. I know there are a lot of people who have a lot of different ways to clean up the mess. You've got some people arguing about the best towel to use, some people using a towel that is clearly too small, there are some people using a towel that is too wet, some people arguing that a mop would be more efficient, and some people who are just so tired from mopping up all that water. There are people too busy arguing about the best way to help to actually help, and there are even people who think you need a special license and equipment to help, and will actively stop those who don't do it their way. There are those who really want to help, but their efforts just seem to create more work. There are those who want to help clean up, but are put off by the look of those who are, there are some people just pretending to help, some people living in their own little fantasy world where the mess doesn't exist, and some people arguing that the mess is actually okay, and that everybody should just leave it alone. Unfortunately there are an awful lot of people who ignore the plumber.

I think our primary focus always has to be on helping heal hearts. We should be mess cleaners, but we should know that the heart healing is much much more important, and act accordingly.

It's a bit like the saying Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. If you show someone that abortion is wrong, that's great. But tomorrow they might be beating their child. If you can help people change their hearts, by inviting Jesus in.... that's going to help fix so many of the problems.

And no, I'm not saying that all Christians are perfect, or even good. In fact, sometimes being Christian means you need more work done on you than most. But, I do believe that when Jesus is truly in your heart, that helps.

You kind of wonder sometimes, why God just doesn't say Enough. There is so much pain and sorrow, and we just seem to be making an awful mess of things. But... He hasn't yet. For whatever reason, He is not finished with this world. So neither should I be. And for every tear that is cried, and baby that is unloved, and person that is hurt... there is joy, and children that are adored, and people who are doing good.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:10


God told us, over and over again in the bible, to be joyful, to rejoice in the Lord. I think he told us so often, because we really do need reminding. This is a big world, with big problems. But He is a Big God.