I have been learning lessons about life from plumbing. I was so looking forward to having a day off when I could just do what I wanted and not what had to be done. It looked like that day would finally come after several months. I went to the shop and got a fire going, expecting to enjoy the day making something wonderful. But then I got a call that water was running in the bathtub of one of the apartments. I went over there to find that it was really running and wouldn't shut off. I needed to repace the "guts" of the shower but in order to do that I had to turn the water off for the house. The problem is that the water shutoff is inside an underground box that was frozen shut. I tried all sorts of different methods of getting it open but it didn't budge.
After several trips back home getting different tools to try different things, and several hours of making no progress, I began to get discouraged. Just then I got another call of something else that had gone bad at a different house. I told my friend later that if he had come by at that moment, I would have sold him the house for $12.50. After several hours of getting no where, I finally prayed out loud, "God, please help me" On the way back into town, I new idea came to me and I was able to get things fixed.
What I learned is that I am slow to pray. My tendency is to try and try until I get discouraged. Some people get mad and throw things, I am not like that, but I do get discouraged. I am reminded to trust, yield, and rest. Plumbing is just a little thing, but the principle applies in every area of life. Even after more than 30 years of walking with the Lord, I still need to learn to trust Him more quickly with the everyday affairs of life...to continually yield to the filling of the Holy Spirit...and then to enjoy the "rest". (Rest being contrasted to striving, worry, discouragement).
As I learn to practice this, you may want to follow me around for a week, you might end up with a home for less than 20 bucks if you ask me at the right time.
