The kitchen sink was plugged again…it happens all the time. Just in time for the Thanksgiving meal. After a dozen trips to the garage for a pipe wrench, plumbers’ helper, crescent wrench, drill socket set and a bucket to catch whatever plugged the pipe, I was ready to free the clog. After an hour and a half, the basement floor was a mess, the patio where the outside drain is was a mess, the kitchen sinks were a mess and yes, I was a mess…thick black “whatever it was” came gushing from the pipe—it covered me, my face, my hands, my arms, my shirt and my pants. The smell was “good” too. But the drain was now opened…until the next time!
As I showered, I thought about the nasty experience. The drain was indeed plugged but the stuff it was plugged with was the stuff we had been putting in it, which had accumulated over time. When the pipe was finally filled full of grease, coffee grounds, butter etc. it just quit functioning. The ironic thing is that the very stuff I had to dig out of the pipe in the basement is the same stuff I had put in it in the kitchen. In other words, I was the problem.
Lent begins March 5th. It’s usually thought of as a time for a little more Bible reading, a little less extravagance, a little more church, a little less chocolate, and a little more prayer. In other words, Lent is a time for getting rid of all the crud that clogs our lives. Remember the plugged drain? Remember how all that crud got in the drain? We would all do better if we didn’t have so much crud in the first place. Lent is a reminder that we are unable to keep our pipes clean by ourselves. The job would be easier if we avoided all that stuff in the first place, but being human, at least once a year (or more often) I need to call “The Master Plumber” for help. I have signed a covenant with Him and He promises to take care of all the “stuff and junk” in the end.
Have a Holy Lent.
Father Bill Myrick
