Photo by Shahadat Rahman on Unsplash
The basement of our house is not finished, but has been relatively dry. If you live in the midwest, you know what I’m talking about. Finished basements can become livable functional space, whereas unfinished basements can be usable, or they can be damp, scary, and the stuff nightmares are made of.
Our basement is usable. We have a workshop area, storage area, and a big open space. Our house is over 100 years old, and water has at times seeped in the basement through minor gaps that have developed. Over the summer, we realized during rainstorms that a steady trickle of water flowed from one of the cement walls near a corner. Even though it was a trickle, within a short time, we would have a watery path all the way across the floor to the sump pump (another thing I didn’t learn about until I moved to the midwest).
Last weekend, Todd took the necessary steps of removing the shelving and insulation to find the source of the leak. Surprisingly, it was a tiny hole in a crack that allowed the water to invade the dry space. Within a short time, the hole was patched, and the flow of water has stopped.
I started thinking about what would have happened if we had just let it go and not stopped the leak. After all, it was just a little bit of water, right? Not to be dramatic, but scientists believe the Grand Canyon was formed over many years by the flow of the Colorado River. Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? Standing on the edge surveying its vastness is breathtaking! And it started with a trickle of water.
So back to our basement. If the leak of water had not been stopped, over time we would have the next Grand Canyon in our basement, right? Okay, maybe not, but the foundation of our house would be compromised. And if the foundation fails, the house eventually falls.
All of this foundation focus has made me think about how important our spiritual foundation is.
What about our thought life? Just a trickle of thoughts that don’t line up with what God says over time can erode our foundation of truth.
What about purity? Just a trickle of viewing or partaking in things outside God’s boundaries for our minds and bodies can cause us to be entangled with things we were never intended to be.
What about unforgiveness? Just a trickle of holding onto events or hurts that we should release to God can erode our foundation of peace and our relationship with God and others.
What about gossip? Just a trickle of sharing unflattering things about others can erode our integrity and cause us to end up being critical and unloving.
What about fear? Just a trickle of allowing our thoughts and actions to be guided by fear can erode our faith in God and leave us in bondage to that fear.
It’s a slippery slope. It can start with just a trickle, but we are reminded in God’s Word to take our thoughts captive. What starts out as a minor flow can become a deluge if not attended to, eroding or distorting our spiritual foundation.
The good news is that we don’t have to figure it out or accomplish it on our own. God empowers us to make the changes that we need to. If we ask Him to help us, He does! So if you’re in what seems like an impossible situation or just need a slight course correction, ask Him to fill you and empower you, and He will. It’s not necessarily easy, but it’s possible.
And if you want a human to talk to as you work through the process, reach out to me! I’d love to help you!