Keep the Tap Open

2/12/13 - The forecast calls for snow today. It's currently 37 degrees outside. 40 degrees warmer than the day this post was originally written two years ago. The message, however, remains the same no matter the temperature.

~~♥~~

“Holy Snowflakes, it’s cold!”

My computer tells me it is a minus 4 degrees beyond the bricks and mortar of my comfort; therefore, I shall not be moved. But today is yet another day that the Lord has made and I’ve chosen to rejoice and be glad in it! (Ps. 118:24) Glad that I can be inside. Thankful too.

During weather such as we have experienced this past week, wisdom gained from the past teaches us of the importance to “drip” our faucets while we sleep. Many of us have learned the hard way that temperatures in the sub-zero range, especially accompanied by strong winds, can quickly freeze water pipes if we fail to take precautions. A small, yet steady stream of water running continually helps prevent water from freezing inside the lines. 

It is a simple concept; moving water doesn’t freeze as easily as standing water.

Not a gushing stream…just opening the tap is all that is necessary to keep the lines from freezing.

Hmmm….did you get that?

  “…all that’s necessary to keep the lines from freezing is just simply opening the tap”?

It reminds me of my relationship not only with God, but also with my husband, as well as with others in my life.

With God, if I allow disobedience, selfish pride, lack of forgiveness, etc. to close the tap, I inadvertently cause the lines between God and me to “freeze up”, preventing the Spirit of God from flowing freely through me.

With my husband, when I allow wrong attitudes or anger to close the tap, I block opportunities for healing and blessing, frozen solid in the fears of repeated offenses.

In our relationships with others, keeping the tap open involves an ever-responsive ear and heart, rather than assuming the frigid posture of complacency in the warmth of our own religious environments.

1 John 1:3 states: "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."

 Keeping “the tap” open is essential to all relationships. God created us in this way. And when we are first “tapped in” to the Source of all relationships, we will find it easier in maintaining the relationships with those whom God has so blessed us. For we are "being fitted together, and growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom we also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." Eph. 2:21-22

Now, may the Spirit of God flow freely through your life today, and may your cup overflow with blessing, grace, and mercy onto and into the lives of those around you, in Jesus’ name.