Motherhood and home ownership have combined forces to make me an expert in clogged drain pipes. Some clogs are innocent enough…potato peelings and other bits of organic debris that get caught up in the pipes and are easily removed using your favorite chemical drain cleaner. Other clogs, such as the stray toy flushed down the toilet by a curious child, are more deliberate in nature and much more difficult to clear. (I am convinced that all prospective parents should be required to take a class in removing foreign objects from deep within the bowels of the toilet).
In his book entitled, The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power in Your Life, Billy Graham uses the picture of a water pipe to describe the flow of the Holy Spirit’s power into our lives. When all is as it should be between us and God, there is a constant supply of His “living water”. However, every sin, every act of self is a piece of debris piling up in the pipe restricting the flow. As it builds up, we begin to dehydrate and become spiritually dry. There is no longer anything different in our lives than before we knew Christ.
Thankfully, we have been provided with a solution to sin. We are assured that through the blood of Christ, our sins are wiped away (Isaiah 1:18) and that we need only confess our sins to Christ to be cleansed (1 John 1:9). So it occurred to me this morning during communion, while reflecting of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, that his blood acts as the drain cleaner for our spiritual “clogged pipes”. So, you might find it disrespectful, but I think God understands. I found myself during this morning’s communion sincerely thanking Jesus for being Drano for me. Thanks to him, the flow of the Holy Spirit in my life can be restored - bringing life back where there was once only dryness.
