The Kingdom of Heaven is Like Plumbing

At the place where I work the duties are quite, shall we say, ecclectic. I have my regular things to get done, but also have new and unique challenges. Some are pleasant. Some, well... A few weeks back I got a call from my co-worker with this statement, "The toilet's overflowing from the apartment upstairs and I don't know waht to do." A clog had happened in the drain pipe outside the building PAST the place where the business drainage hooks in. As you know from physics, when there is a clog in a pipe the fluid (and anything it is carrying) will find the easiest exit. This happened to be the business toilet.

I had the "joy" of getting a sewer line cleanout snake and do the deed of unplugging the pipe. This was the least of the "joys." Afterward, I had to go inside and sweep, mop and cleanup the dirty, stinky mess all over the floor. It took days to get it all cleaned up and usable. Of course, during the episode, I kept finding myself thinking, "Why should I have to do this?" "We should hire someone to clean this up." For a variety of reasons, this was not possible. It was up to me.

Days later, after the smell left my nostrils, the Lord pointed somethings out to me. According to the Bible, my sins stink worse to God than this sewer backup did to me. In some inspired writings I recently read that sin was so repulsive to God the Father that Jesus could not see past the grave. He was not sure that He would ever see His Father again. Sin was so awful to God that Jesus thought that He might forever be separated from His Father.

This planet has sewer problems. It is full of it. And yet Jesus willingly came here. He didn't just run a snake up the pipe (interesting symbology there). He got into all the mess, not up to His elbows, not so that some splattered on His shoes (like it did on mine). He got into it fully and completely and cleaned out the clog Himself.

Dear God, let me see sin as you see it. Jesus, thank you so much for what you did for me. I love you.