Monday, January 25, 2016

JUST A "SMALL" LEAK??


Saga.

"A long, involved story, account, or series of incidents."

And every good story starts with a single event, a seemingly innocuous incident that starts the ball rolling.

Like a snowflake starts an avalanche.

Like a water droplet starts a flood.

I have a good story for you.


It began a couple of weeks ago when my mother said to my brother and I...

"Can I show you something?"

Those words sound harmless enough, right?

But it occurs to me that they are ominously portentous – like saying to someone:

"Can we talk about something?"

So, my brother followed my mom into her bathroom area.

A few minutes later, I wandered in, only to meet my brother halfway.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Go look," he replied, with a rather grim expression on his face.

I poked my head into her bathroom, and instantly felt like I had entered a horror movie.

There were winged bugs all over her floor, all over her toilet, all over

As I stood there aghast, my brother returned.

My mom's bathroom has a little window with shutters in front of it.

Shut shutters.

My brother and I knew we needed to look.  So we gingerly opened the shutters…

(If this was indeed a horror movie, this is the point when the audience starts screaming, "Don't open the shutters!  Don't do it!!)

Oh my.

A literal mound of bugs was heaped behind those shutters.  A hive of winged insects.  A pile of grossness.

And if there was a *queen* inside, she would have been the size of a baseball, I'm sure about that.  (Needless to say, we did NOT go looking for her...)

"What are those?" I whispered to my brother.

"I think they're termites."

Well, we *RAIDed* that pile, and cleaned up carcasses, and called a termite company.   They came out about a week later for an inspection.  And yup, Mom's house was infested.

Treatment Day was scheduled.

Fortunately, this company uses a non-toxic way to treat termites.  No tenting, no need for anyone to leave the house (though we did arrange for Mom to be gone for the day).

Treatment Day arrived.

So, this non-toxic method entailed drilling holes every foot around the entire perimeter of the house, down to the soil, treating every square inch of the attic and fascia board around the garage, and injecting an orange oil concoction into each hole.

The noise, the dust, the inconvenience, the disruption – feet in the attic, drills and hammers pounding, cement dust flying.

Ugh.

At one point, one of the workers said that he was having trouble drilling down to the soil in the patio.  His drill bit got stuck, and they were awaiting a new, longer one to arrive.

This is the point in the story where the plot twists…


Mid-morning my brother was called outside.  And then came back inside with one of "those" faces – oh no, bad news coming.

"We've had to turn off the water.  They hit a pipe somewhere, and there's a leak."

And so began a 58-hour ordeal.

We had to have the water turned off – except for momentary moments in order to wash hands, brush teeth, and use the restroom.  However, each time we did that, a fountain of water erupted in the patio, and poured out ($$$) all over!

At the mercy of the termite company, because repair work was now in their court, it was 48 hours until their plumber came.

He proceeded to jackhammer the patio to locate and cap the broken pipe.

Except he didn't.

Turns out this guy's "regular" job was heating and air conditioning.  And he only did plumbing "on the side."

So, after an hour of futile and destructive work, he informed me that he couldn't fix it.

Multiple phone calls ensued.

Miscommunication, delays, double-bookings, faulty promises – finally, a guy arrived at our house.  And worked for hours in a valiant effort to remedy our problem.

He did.

At the cost of removing drywall from several areas inside the house in an effort to locate the source of the leak.  And cutting and capping off pipes that compromised the water supply to downstairs.

Needless to say, we were grateful to have running water, finally, at 9:00 PM that night.

This saga is not yet done – as there are more calls and negotiations for leak-plugging, piping restoration, drywall repair, concrete re-pouring, patio re-tiling, etc.

But the whole experience showed me something…


One "small" incident can lead to a whole lot of suffering.

One "small" leak can be anything but…

Have you ever fooled yourself into thinking that a "small" sin is OK?

A fib.

A minor cheat.

A harmless flirtation.

A quick look.

A snap judgment.

I know you're like me (you are, right?!) – and I have been guilty of committing "small" sins, sins that I deemed innocuous, sins that hardly seemed worth the effort of thinking about.

Sins that could hardly be called sins.

Except…

Those sins were just the beginningthe first domino tipping over and starting a chain of events that tumbled out of control.

We humans are funny creatures.

And I think it's a temptation all in itself to *rank* our sins.  

Some are not-so-bad, some are oh-that-wasn't-so-good, and others are really-and-truly-terrible.

And when we are guilty of committing "little" sins, it's easy to dismiss them, to ignore them.

Until a "small" leak turns into a flood.

We must not be fooled.

Small leaks have a way of permeating our souls.  

Every sin costs something.

Consciences can be dulled, integrity can be jeopardized, honesty can be compromised, relationships can be broken, and trust can be demolished.

And more than anything, any kind of sin diminishes and threatens our relationship with God.

You see, in God's eyes, there is no ranking of sins.

There is only SIN – a fatal condition of the human heart.

Yes, sin manifests itself in a million different ways – a million different wrongdoings.

But God's holiness is perfect.

And it doesn't matter if we fall short by an inch or a trillion miles.

WE. ALL. FALL. SHORT.


Oh, dear ones, we cannot afford to be casual about the "small" sins.

We must be ruthless in our determination to find them and eliminate them in our single-minded pursuit of God.

But let us not be like the plumber who thought he could fix the problem himself, and couldn't, because he wasn't a professional.

We are like that – only amateurs in this sin business.

Therefore, we must allow, we must invite the Holy Spirit to do the work that only He can do.

He knows our hearts intimately, better than we do, and He is the only one who can stop the leaky "small" sins before they escalate into something bigger and more damaging.

It might take some jack-hammering, some digging behind walls, some exposing of hidden leaks, some capping off of pipelines that are the source of sinful behavior.

It might take some time, and it might be expensive, costly.

For it will involve dying to self.

But in the end, it's worth it.

Let LIVING WATER flow again!!





Oh Lord,
it seems I've sprung a leak,
I am not displaying
the holiness You seek.

So please search my heart
where sin doth lurk,
And let Your Holy Spirit
do His work.



***REMEMBER to check out DAILY GRATEFUL THOUGHTS here***
  
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(A lot of Scripture today, but let it have a *domino* effect in your heart!)


"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard." (Romans 3:23, NLT)

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." (James 2:10, NASB)

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24, NIV)

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2, NIV)

"I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3, Berean Bible)

"You must warn each other every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God." (Hebrews 3:13, NLT)

"For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness – my sinful capacity].  For the willingness [to do good] is present in me, but the doing of good is not.  For the good that I want to do, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want…For I joyfully delight in the law of God in my inner self [with my new nature], but I see a different law and rule of action in the members of my body [in its appetites and desires], waging war against the law of my mind and subduing me and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is within my members.  Wretched and miserable man that I am!  Who will [rescue me and] set me free from this body of death [this corrupt, mortal existence]?  Thanks be to God [for my deliverance] through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:18-19, 22-25, AMP)

"If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." (1 John 1:8-9, NLT)

"'The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?  But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives.'" (Jeremiah 17:9-10, NLT)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24, ESV)

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10, AMP)

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God…Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry…In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.  But now you must put them all away…" (Colossians 3:2-3, 5, 7-8, ESV)                                   

"So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls." (James 1:21, NLT)

"We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives.  We are no longer slaves to sin." (Romans 6:6, NLT)

"I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20, ESV)



Have you sprung a "small" sin leak?



Linked with:

SHARING HIS BEAUTY, PLAYDATES WITH GOD, MONDAY'S MUSINGS, MONDAYS AT SOUL SURVIVAL, LIFE GIVING LINKUP, GOOD MORNING MONDAYS, GRATEFUL HEART MONDAY, THE ART OF HOMEMAKING MONDAYS, SMALL WONDER, TELL ME A TRUE STORY, TITUS 2 TUESDAY, UNITE LINKUP, TESTIMONY TUESDAY, TUESDAY TALK, TELL IT TO ME TUESDAYS, RA RA LINKUP, TEACHING WHAT IS GOOD, INTENTIONAL TUESDAY, BLOGGERS SPOTLIGHT, WORSHIPFUL WEDNESDAY, TELL HIS STORY, THE HOMEMAKING PARTY, WISE WOMAN, WHOLEHEARTED WEDNESDAY, A LITTLE R & R WEDNESDAYS, WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY, THREE WORD WEDNESDAY, COFFEE FOR YOUR HEART, COFFEE & CONVERSATION, SO MUCH AT HOME, WOMEN WITH INTENTION, WAITING ON WEDNESDAY, SITTING AMONG FRIENDS, LIVE FREE THURSDAY, THURSDAY FAVORITE THINGS, THOUGHT-PROVOKING THURSDAY, GRACE AT HOME, SHINE BLOG HOP, THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS, FROM HOUSE TO HOME, LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY, COZY READING SPOT, NO RULES WEEKEND BLOG PARTY, BLOGGERS SPOTLIGHT, FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY, EVERYDAY TESTIMONY, FAITH FILLED FRIDAY, SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS, FAITH 'N FRIENDS, MAKE MY SATURDAY SWEET, GRACE & TRUTH, ESSENTIAL FRIDAYSDANCE WITH JESUS, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP & FAITH, TGI SATURDAYS, WEEKEND WHISPERS, SMALL VICTORIES SUNDAY, WORD OF GOD SPEAK, GIVE ME GRACE, SOCIAL BUTTERFLY SUNDAY



BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

49 comments:

  1. bless your dear heart, love you

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  2. I believe you have just given a reason why the Word says to confess our sins and to not allow things to "hang around."

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  3. Oh Sharon, what a mess! Having to recently deal with plumbers etc, I know how frustrating it can be. But that is true about sin. It does start seemingly small and can take over like a termite festation. Good to call in the exterminator in God, ask him to forgive our sins and get restored again. I bet you guys are glad this ordeal is over.

    Betty

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  4. Oh my!
    This whole ordeal reminds me of a commercial for cable that shows how one very unrelated event (the bugs) can result in another event (a water leak)...something totally unexpected!

    And you are right...sin can be very deceiving like that...small sin = big consequences!
    I'm, going to check out your daily grateful thoughts now.
    Blessings and love~ Lisa

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  5. Hi Sharon! Oh my gosh, I can totally relate to this post. My sister had termites, and they did have to leave the house. She said her house looked like a circus tent!
    A friend of my daughter's bought a house after being cleared by an inspector. Yeah. Not so much. Termites, leaky windows, it was a mess. All because someone couldn't stop the problem at the first sign of trouble.
    I think your point is so well taken. (But what a cost to learn it!!!) When things get out of hand, it's time to stop it, right then and there. Little leaks turn into gushers so quickly. Then it's not so easy...

    I really hope everything has settled down at your mom's place. Thank God for your brother. I would be shaking in my shoes having to look behind that window treatment. EWWW!!! You have done your mom a GREAT service. You're a wonderful daughter, but I bet she knows that already.
    Blessings,
    Ceil

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  6. What a horrible experience! It's a great, and appropriate, spiritual lesson though!

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  7. This is such a good message, Sharon. You describe the disaster of one small problem snowballing beyond very well. And sin is the same way. May we heed the warning. I agree that we can't do it on our own; we need the Holy Spirit. That's His job--to convict the world of sin. Such an important teaching here!

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  8. Your illustration here of how one small leak (sin) can turn into a flood if not caught in time and confessed, is pure inspiration, Sharon. You've truly made me think today about those "little" sins I think I can sweep under the rug and never be bothered by them again. It just isn't true, is it? They will come back to haunt us in bigger and badder ways than before.
    Thank the Lord for His forgiveness of sin and His love for us!
    Blessings!

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  9. Woowww what an ordeal!! Amazing! And what a perfect analogy of what sin can do to lives..it is SO very true!! How we need God, to stay on the path through the narrow gate! Great post today! Visiting from next door at #playdateswithGod today!

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  10. Great post, Sharon. I can still hear the voice of Barney Fife saying, "You gotta nip it in the bud." Ain't that the truth?

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  11. Well, you certainly allowed that mess become the perfect message. What a powerful, powerful post...one I needed to hear....love ya :)

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  12. From those first termites, to the shutters, to the flood from a workman drilling too deep; all while trying to fix a problem. WOW !! that was a horror movie not an adventure. I am sure this exciting activity is one we hope will never be repeated, and that soon all will be put back together. Yes, that first bite by Eve started the tempest of sin that floods each person born. It is good to search our hearts and remind ourselves to keep short accounts. Thank you for sharing this project to help your mother with us and God bless your Mom too.

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  13. Oh wow! What an experience...termites, plumbers, drilling, floods! Ugh! But, you are so right...we can't afford to ignore the "small" sins for any sin is the beginning of a slippery slope. I know that first hand! Those little, seemingly harmless sins are not harmless at all. They are the gateway to harming all those around us and damage our relationship with God. I'm so grateful for the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the incredible forgiveness of our loving God!

    Glad the bugs are gone!

    Blessings, Joan

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  14. An ordeal for sure! We do tend to rate our sins and I want no part of it! Even those "little sins" hurt the heart of my Savior. I want to get quiet enough for the Holy Spirit to speak, and then to obey and confess.

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  15. Oh yeah, I know it all too well. I've been learning a lot of things as God deals with my thinking, how I think. It's the same as what you're saying here, "oh they're my thoughts. It's nothing. Not that big a deal." I'm not talking about lust or anything like that, but dwelling on fears or anxieties. We're human? That's normal, right? But then why would Paul encourage us to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. It's forceful. It's intentional. It's a discipline. Anyway, entertaining those thoughts leads down other avenues I don't want to go. Phew! Well, I hope the house situation is resolved quickly for you guys. That's awful! Blessings to you, Sharon.

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  16. Oh what a story! And such a lesson to learn from it too! So much better to deal with a situation when it is small, then letting it get out of hand, and the ensuing mess! I love how this difficult situation also tells an incredible parable too for our spiritual lives. Sure hoping that things get resolved for your poor mother, I can only imagine how upsetting this is for her too!

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  17. Amazing how you can take this cataclysmic experience and turn it into spiritual truth! Thanks for the cautionary words!

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  18. Sharon, you always say wonderful things in delightful ways.

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  19. Bugs, bugs, bugs!!! Uggghhhh! Nothing good about them...and nothing good about sin, either!! Our sins only destroy and ruin our lives. So thankful for God's amazing grace and mercy!!!! Thanks for sharing!!
    Ann @ Christ in the Clouds - http://christintheclouds.blogspot.com/

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  20. First, what a horrible ordeal for you and your mom! Second, your point about trying to be a sin fixer when we are at best just rank amateurs hit home completely. I'm so much like your plumber that if I look behind myself right now, my pants have probably dropped beneath the moon. Standing convicted.

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  21. We do not deal with termites much in this corner of the world...I felt pretty creepy crawly just reading about the infestation. Awful! Costly! Challenging! Your analogy is very impacting too.....wow.

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  22. Wow, what an experience! And you are spot on -- no sin is in isolation. It always, always has a consequence and often a ripple effect. What a great lesson from a difficult story. Glad to be visiting from #TellHisStory.

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  23. Bugs be begone....Sharon you always have the best way of gleaning spiritual truth from even the buggiest of life's situation.

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  24. How wonderful it is to have spiritual eyes to see lessons from the Lord in our daily trials and everyday living. God has given us(believers) a true gift to see beyond earthly matters. Therefore, we can rejoice in trials and be astonished by the insight and blessings that God gives to us through these situations. Many times I have looked back and said, "I'm glad that happened now." I may have not been glad at the time, but later I could see more clearly as to how God gives us blessings and growth through such times. His benefits always outweigh the difficulties. Sometimes it might take longer to see it. However, if we trust God and give it all to Him, all things work together for our good!
    Thanks for sharing at So Much at Home!
    Love you!!!

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  25. Oh goodness. But oh what goodness this post is. Because it's such a good reminder post on this matter of sin. Nicely done, Sharon. And so sorry for life situation which led to this nicely done post. Hugs to you, friend.

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  26. Amen...well said and convicting. A little leaven still leavens the whole loaf, how easy I forget. Catching the foxes before they spoil the vine. Good word!

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  27. Bummer... Excellent analogy again though. I've noticed that repairing anything is a hundred times harder than maintaining it in the first place, not so different than our souls... Thanks for the painful reminder.

    In fairness to the poor guy that hit the pipe, that pipe should have been a minimum of 18" below the lowest portion of concrete... and don't get me started on the lobbyist that banned Chlordane in order to ensure pest control companies would have eternal work and termites to do battle with.

    There's the two cents that you didn't ask for!

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  28. Oh my, Sharon! What a disaster for your poor mother! Loved your analogy here. "Let us not be like the plumber who thought he could fix the problem himself, and couldn't, because he wasn't a professional. We are like that – only amateurs in this sin business. Therefore, we must allow, we must invite the Holy Spirit to do the work that only He can do."

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  29. Yes! We do want to rank our sins, and we "all fall short of the glory of God." I love that verse, and it melted my heart a little that it was the first on you listed, because it's been on the top of my mind and echoed all over the place today!!!
    I am deathly afraid of a termite attack!!! I had winged bugs crawling up my walls a few years ago, and then looked closely at the dark carpet to see it shifting an moving...total bug infestation!!!!!
    By the grace of God alone, we were spared...they were some odd winged ant and not termintes. Right?!?!?! Like I said, GRACE OF GOD!!!
    Thank you for sharing your saga. That word and it's definition made me laugh...that's so how I describe my life...a "saga."
    Many laughs to you today, #livefreeThursday neighbor!!
    Happy Thursday!!
    Megs

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  30. What a great example of how a small thing can bring on way more than you ever expect. What a mess and inconvenience to go through!

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  31. You can never share too much Scripture! Thanks for sharing with the Thursday Blog Hop!

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  32. Oh no! Definitely a stitch in time moment.

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  33. I'm more speechless than normal....oh, Sharon....ick! And I never even got to sin.

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  34. Such a great lesson to take away from the story - it can seem like nothing at the time, but can soon snowball out of control. #saturdaysweet

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  35. I am glad you could use such a travesty to make such a great point.

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  36. A horror or story, indeed. I can't imagine the stress such a plot line imposes! Yes, I saw a lot of those dollar signs and the fact that there were so many mistakes made, pushing a distressing situation to melt down mode, turns a horror story into a disaster movie. An excellent metaphor for your sin analogy. So sorry you had to go through this for such a great post! Hope all is returning to normal and provision from the Lord turns the captivity of the situation.
    Joy to you!
    Kathy

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  37. That is some horror story at your mother's. Why didn't she tell you sooner? What a nightmare! Hopefully things are getting worked out. I like that the house didn't have to be tented and that they have safer things to use.

    Since you are a no reply I could not reply to your comment about my son & his finace. They will not be getting back together, she cheated on him and became pregnant. We are all still in shock.

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  38. I'm so sorry to hear your horror story, but I love your analogy. Little leaks can have grave consequences. Ironically, I too wrote a post about a leak. It didn't end well either.

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  39. Wow! You had me glued to my seat with this story! Seems home repairs can never be simple, one step fixes! Glad you got it all taken care of for your mom.

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  40. Sounds like quite the ordeal! Thanks for the reminder that small things can lead to large. I hope you can stop by:

    http://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2016/01/songs-on-sunday-call-it-grace-by.html

    Colletta

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  41. We are no longer slaves to sin. I love what God has done in US. We just have to remember to die to that old self. I love the line, just like the plumber, we have to remember to let a professional take care of things the right way. My dad is a professional contractor and he is the second guy so many times who has to fix the mistakes of others. Oh, the stories he tells. I really enjoyed your story. Thank you for sharing with us at Sitting Among Friends on Wednesdays. I'll see you next week.

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  42. WOW Sharon, you sure know how to tell a tale and what a mess!

    Your poor mom and her house! When I read your small brief of this in last week's "Grateful" page, I was wondering about this but took your word that they were termites and ended with the pipe problem creating more problems; sometimes that's how problems go ... however from the description of these, I thought they were flying ants because I thought termites were microscopic in the wood. Anyways ...

    Only you ... could see and weave a spiritual application from the horror of insects like these and the cockroaches once upon a time.
    You are so right that "small leaks or sin in our lives" may turn into a flood ... yet also as you wrote, sin is sin, there is no small or big (as many of us were taught). No rank. Every one costs us something. Yep, "dying to self"; getting behind the problem ... so thankful for the Living Water that washes us clean and pours into the crevices exposing our weakness! Great message as always!

    {sorry I'm so late} as you've been informed, I'm dealing with a bit more than a "leak" right now ... but I think my computer issue is getting better (and will when I go home and get the right chord). Yet MN in winter is a radical change of temp ... I'm just thankful I can take care of my "leaks" better there. You do know I was here on last Mon. and read here and at your grateful page, but my time and energy were not up to commenting (sorry). I'm so glad you are taking such good care of your mom and hope this situation is resolved well and completely.

    Many blessings and much love,
    Peggy

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  43. I've read that we need to be cracked so God's light could come in. Wisely written.

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  44. Such an interesting analogy and a perfect reminder that even the little things have the bigggest impact. Thanks so much for sharing your inspiring piece on #SHINEbloghop last week!

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  45. Thanks for linking up at the Bloggers Spotlight!

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  46. Oh my, Sharon. Yuck! But everything is a story for a writer isn't it? Even the yuckiness becomes a PERFECT analogy. Thanks so much for sharing this and for linking up at Faith 'n Friends. Blessings!

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  47. Oh, what a terrible ordeal for you all! I am SO sorry you had to go through this! I love the spiritual lessons you gleaned from this trying experience and am so grateful for you sharing them here. So, so true...little sins escalate into big sins really, really quick. David comes to mind as I ponder this. That one, little peek that turned into a long, lingering look, that turned into...well, you know the rest of the story. God help us! We would do well to follow Barney's advice and "nip it in the bud" while it is still a bud...before it blossoms. Love you, dear friend.

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  48. Sharon, what a nightmare! (and what a powerful illustration!!!!)

    You are "on point" as usual. Thank you for the good word.

    Hugs

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  49. Oh my goodness! So glad the situation is fixed. I loved the correlation you gave to this story though. Sin starts out small and then become large enough that it destroys things. Thanks for sharing this with #SocialButterflySunday! Hope to see you link up again this week :)

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"So [I] have been greatly encouraged in the midst of [my] troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives [me] new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How [I] thank God for you!" (1 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

Thanks for your comments - it is such a joy to be sharing my journey with friends like YOU!

(NOTE: Anonymous comments will be removed. Thank you for understanding.)