Our local water company has recently been replacing the old sewer pipes in our street. Our front yard and driveway were dug up to reveal the pipes in a huge gaping hole which stayed like that for many days. One evening as we were inspecting this hole (with our neighbour), I was horrified to see that the plumbers had neglected to reconnect the sewerage pipes after their day’s work… meaning that everyone in the affected area had all their ‘business’ on display for anyone to see as they went past! A phone call to the water company was quickly made to rectify the problem!
I was embarrassed (to say the least) about this oversight… embarrassed and upset because everyone could see stuff that I didn’t want them to see… Sound familiar?
We all have ‘sewerage’ in our lives that we want to keep safely hidden away from prying eyes. We don’t want others to see the unpleasant things that sometimes come out into the open but, like my sewerage pipes, sometimes things are brought out into the open for a reason…. they need to be fixed. We can’t deal with our stuff until we are honest enough to bring it out into the open for the healing work of restoration to begin.
Many years ago when I first shared my story, I was very apprehensive about what people would think of me. I didn’t want all my past mess on display for the entire world to see! But what I didn’t understand at the time was that my mess would become a message of hope for so many people. God is not like the plumbers in my street… He does not accidentally leave things unfinished. God knows exactly when, where, why and to whom we need to reveal things… I am constantly amazed at His perfect positioning and timing. And I am also constantly amazed at the people He puts in my path, and me in theirs to encourage, inspire and support each other.
And, I am pleased to say our sewerage pipes are now fixed, and the hole is covered in 🙂
John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. If there is something in your life that you know God wants to bring out into the open so that it can be fixed, please let Him. We can only ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit for so long before things spill out in an ugly mess anyway. Being in bondage to something because you’re afraid of what it might look like if it comes out is a horrible place to be. Trust me; I spent many long years there, so I know! But, I also know that when you let the light of God’s love shine into your situation, no matter how dark it seems, He is able to bring healing, restoration and redemption like you never imagined. Why don’t you try it, you might just surprise yourself! Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.