Kinks

We have all had those times when we have unrolled the hose for one purpose or another and turned it on and nothing has happened. A kink has thwarted the progress of the water and has stopped the flow. It happened to me last week when I was washing Bentley. Things were going fine but somehow or another the hose got twisted and caused a kink which in turn just cut off the water. I followed the line, found the twist, straightened it out and once again we were good to go on the water output. And Bentley did get a good bath!

Aren't there just some days when it seems like there is one kink followed by another and at day's end you are worn pretty thin by the twists of the day. My easy going spirit of contentment has been compromised, and I have been forced to stop in my tracks and reevaluate and reestablish the source from whence my joy comes. You have been there when things have not gone as planned or expectations were not met, or you have not obviously measured up to someone else's expectations. It just made me think how often I do allow kinks to just flat stop my ability to carry on in a gracious manner. I analyze and internalize whatever it is that has disrupted my flow of conscious contentment and end up stewing over it and am filled with regrets. Those kinks have such a ripple effect in emotions, attitudes and relationships. So often something could have been avoided if only....Aren't there times when you wish you had a do- over pass? And then it occurred to me that I can't go back only can go forward, and I have to deal with the kinks face on, with God's help.

Just like that hose, you follow it until you find the problem and then you loosen it, untwist it and set it free and the water flow begins again. If you don't address the problem, then is continues to halt progress and it effects so many other tangents of life. It is hard to untwist something that has twisted your insides up. A twist can tie us up in such tight knots sometimes that we are almost paralyzed, and unable to release the grip that has gotten hold of our emotions our attitudes and our physical stamina.

But prayer has the power to unleash that which has got a hold of us. So I started praying, asking God to let the power and finesse of his Holy Spirit free flow through my body. And gradually I could feel the release of the pressure that had mounted, one trickle of hope at at time.

We get ourselves into twisted dilemmas and too often instead of calling for help we try to desperately push through the kinks ourselves and end up in frustration, disappointment and just flat stuck as to how to alleviate or overcome a barrier that is blocking the flow of God's good stuff.

God has got all the answers. He knows just where our problems lie as he traces our life line and is there to help us untwist the kinks that have stifled our performance. If we want to be freed of any sidelined distraction that has caused us pain or unrest or stale mated relationships, our best effort is to pray instead of trying to take it on ourselves. But a note here, sometimes his greatest release is found in our forgiveness and compromise and our ability to give someone else a pass. I know that my kinks too often are caused by my determination to have things my way. I will hold fast to my opinions and my stand firm on my convictions without fact, fairness or an open minded ability to evaluate another's interest....and therein lies the origin of my kink. It is that pride thing that seems to be the kink that gets in my way the most.

Thank God that he does have answers, and that he does make personal calls when I find myself in a mess. There are always going to be kinks in life. Some are great ones that seem overwhelming while others are just a minor inconvenience that can be easily untwisted. But we do know that God in his great vision from above is on watch and he knows when something has gotten twisted and kinked in our lives, and it is from him that help, courage, power and finesse must originate

God he is there to set us free from the fears, anxiety, discouragement, set backs, stale mates, disappointments, and pains that we are experiencing. In prayer, we learn to lift these things unto the Lord and he will be our present helper in times of trouble. He follows our line of life, and knows when a kink has stifled us and will surely help us straighten out the problems that are before us.

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Just consider the hose...and how easy it is for us to follow the line, find the problem and release the kink. God is all about us having the peace and joy of his love and grace flow freely through our hearts and minds and bodies. He stands ready and waiting for us to ask for his help to resolve the stalemate that is coming between that progress. It is our choice: Do we stay kinked or allow God to release our anxious thoughts into his realm of faithfulness and control?

Dear Lord, Oh what a blessing to have your presence available to us at all times. When we experience the kinks in our lives, be they large or small, please continue to give us the confidence to faithfully submit them to you and the obedience to follow your direction to untwist them. Amen

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!