Tag: Pressure
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Does Your Basement Leak?
Why do basements leak? We can blame it on the rain, or on the crack itself, but truth be told, neither the rain nor the crack are completely to blame. Pressure is the real problem. Let me explain. When it rains the rain is absorbed into the ground. As the ground becomes saturated the pressure builds and as the pressure builds it forces the water into the path of least resistance, which is usually the crack in your basement wall. Therefore, your basement leaks because of the pressure.
“Cracks” in our lives are exposed the same way. The “rain” of life falls. As our lives become saturated the pressure builds. As the pressure builds, and builds, and builds, if looks for the path of least resistance to escape. We actually use the following phrase, ”I just needed to blow off a little steam”.
The pressure of life exposes the “cracks”, or weaknesses, or unresolved issues, or unhealed wounds of our lives. The “rain” of life sometimes becomes so over-whelming and builds up enough pressure that the cracks of our lives are exposed and begin to leak. The leaks look like; anger, fear, depression, over-spending, broken relationships, insecurity, un-forgiveness, prejudice, complacency, health issues, emotional issues, perfectionism, apathy, moodiness, over-sensitivity, negativism, doubt, gossip, fatigue, and so on….
Sometimes we try to fix the crack in their basements but no success. If the cracks are “fixed”, but the issues that caused the pressure to build are not also resolved the weak spot in the basement wall will always be under pressure from the rain.
Our lives are the same way. Sometimes we try to fix the surface issue (the rain) without resolving the root issue (the pressure). Surface issues are what we see, for example we see someone’s anger, defensiveness, insecurity, or addiction. Sure, we can clearly see the surface issue. But surface issues are only able to survive due to the root system that feeds them. If anger is the surface problem that we can see in a person (or ourselves), then maybe the root system that continually feeds the anger is some event that occurred that has never been resolved, or maybe it is a wound that has never healed, or maybe even fear, therefore we use our anger as our defense mechanism so we feel more secure.
Back to the leaky basement concept for a moment; Many times as the pressure of live builds up we “leak” through our surface issues. Once we begin to “leak” due to the pressure it can affect all the areas of our lives. For example, marriages fall a part most the time due to the pressure that has cause the relationship to spring “leaks”. Rather than resolve the root system issues, we tend to manage the surface level issues until they overwhelm us, then we give up.
There is hope. The gospel is about God’s message of hope and restoration. It is about God reconciling people back to himself. There is no wound God cannot heal. There is no event God cannot resolve in and though you. There is no fear beyond God’s ability to give courage. Whatever the surface issue you struggle with, whatever the root system that feeds it, God has a plan to offer you hope and restoration.
Are you under pressure from the rain in your life? Are the cracks in your “basement” being exposed? Maybe you just have no idea how to stop the “rain”. Maybe it isn’t possible to stop the “rain” right now. Is the pressure building to the point you feel overwhelmed? Do you find yourself being reactive all the time, instead of proactive? Do you feel like there is no hope?
I have good news for you; there is hope! Exposing the “cracks” of our lives is a part of how God works in us to give us opportunities to seek Him and allow Him to transform us. A tendency most of us have is that when we are feeling ten foot tall and bullet proof we have no need for God. We tend to seek God more like a emergency 911 call for help than as an everyday necessity as our source of hope, peace, grace, and power.
The gospel is about God’s message of hope and restoration. The gospel is about a real God who send His real Son to die on real cross for the real sin of all mankind so that they could experience real forgiveness, real peace, and real joy through a real relationship that transforms and empowers them to carry our the God’s real purposes for them. It is about God reconciling people back to himself. There is no wound God cannot heal. Whatever the surface issue you struggle with, whatever the root system that feeds it, God has a plan to offer you hope and restoration.
As with a plant, if we kill the root system, the plant will die. If doesn’t matter how big and strong the tree is, if you kill the root system the tree will also die. Likewise, if doesn’t matter how big and strong your surface issue is, if you kill the root system that feeds it, allow the wounds to heal, resolve the issues, etc, your surface issue will also die.
The gospel is great news, not just about salvation and eternity in heaven, but the gospel is also great news about living life today. God wants to give you hope. He wants to transform you. Allow Him to search you. Be honest with yourself. Stop making excuses for the “self-medication”, for the denial, for the coping mechanisms, for the seeking to numb yourself to the pain, for avoiding the issues, for the broken relationships, for the outburst of anger, for the mood swings, etc.
Instead, take responsibility. Come to God who already knows. Who cares and will restore you and transform you. God knows the pain and pressure you feel. He knows about the rain in your life. Come to Him with all your burdens, and all your regrets, and all your baggage, and He will give you rest. He will forgive you and lavish His grace and mercy upon you. He will transform you from the inside out.
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Our Lives will Experience Heat & Drought
“But blessed is the person who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Jeremiah gives us a wealth of wisdom and encouragement in the two verses above. Blessed, joyful, content, and satisfied is the person who places their trust in God. Think about it for a moment. All worry and anxiety is rooted in distrust of God. We can deny it, but it is still every bit as true.
Scripture tells us to cast all of our fear, worry, and anxiety upon the Lord, but doing that requires trust. Fear, worry, and anxiety rob us of the joy, contentment, satisfaction, and overall blessing God intends to give each of us. God has always proven faithful, yet it is a normal flaw in our flesh to distrust God.
On the other hand, choosing to trust God releases joy, contentment, satisfaction, and the overall blessings of God. Proverbs says that if we trust the Lord fully, He will direct our paths. Jeremiah says that if we consistently choose trust we will be like the tree planted by the ever-flowing stream, regardless of the heat and drought of life, our roots will always be able to reach the life-giving stream.
All of our lives will experience “heat and drought”. Heat represents those times of intense pressure. Drought represents those times of dryness and emptiness. Life is ever changing. We have great days, and we have really hard days. We experience times of stress and pressure that increase our blood pressure and lower our tolerance. We experience extended times of emptiness, where we have expended so much, and nothing seems to be replenishing us.
The great news of the gospel is that regardless of the ups and downs and overall pressure of life, God is always faithful and trustworthy. It we choose to maintain our “rooted-ness’ in Him, we will find an ever flowing stream that will allow us to stay fresh and bear fruit. The heat and the droughts of life will come, but the river of God never ceases to flow to the point of our need. But we it does require trust.
Our trust is based in our confidence in our unfailing, always faithful God, whose ways we do not always understand, but who nevertheless, is the definition of trustworthy. Complete and absolute trust in God provides the blessings of God you crave. It will give you peace in the raging storms, steadfastness in the howling winds, and calm when the world around you seems to quake. You can trust Him!
In the words of S.M. Lockridge, “He supplies strength for the weak and He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He sees. He guards and He guides, He heals the sick, He cleansed the Leper, He forgives sinners, He discharges debtors, He delivers the captives, He defends the feeble, He blesses the young, He regards the aged, He rewards the diligent, He beautifies the meek. He’s the key to knowledge, He’s the well spring of wisdom, He’s the doorway of deliverance, He’s the pathway of peace, He’s the roadway of righteousness, He’s the highway of holiness, He’s the gateway to glory! You can trust Him! He’s the master of the mighty, He’s the captain of the conquers, He’s the head of heroes, He’s the leader of legislators, He’s the overseer of the over-comers, He’s the governor of the governors, He’s the prince of princes, He’s the king of kings, He’s the Lord of lords! You can trust Him!”