“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone!”

This is a saying here in Australia & if I remember correctly it was in a song back in the 1960s. A recent event reminded me of this & I thought it was also a timely lesson.

Today we’ll be looking at this important truth & how it applies to us. But first let’s grab our cuppa’s, a treat & get comfy. Strangely although it’s Spring here on the east coast of Australia we’re experiencing some rather cold & rainy weather. So we’ll be sitting inside today where it’s warm & cosy. I’ve grabbed a mug of Lady Grey tea blend for us with a slice of toasted gf Almond date loaf. 

Talking about Spring our beautiful Jacaranda tree in our backyard is in full bloom, we have a breathtaking lilac canopy & carpet as the blooms fall.

While we love our magnificent Jacaranda tree, it has been quite naughty of late.

When things go awry!

A few weeks ago hubby & I noticed that our household drainage pipes weren’t draining as well they should be. This was concerning as it can be a nightmare when this happens. We had been very vigilant in placing the recommended monthly treatment into the waste pipes to avoid any fine roots from the Jacaranda Tree finding their way into them.

You see we have an older home built around the early 1980’s when they used clay fired pipes for the drainage network with rubber seal joints. As the days progressed we realised that indeed the Jacaranda roots had found their way into the pipes causing a blockage. Ahhhh!

My hubby having spent three & half decades of his working life in the Construction Industry (aka a Tradie here in Australia) then retraining into an allied medical profession in his later working life. He was not going to allow this to get the better of him. He went out to his workshop, got his tools & a special drain coil wire (aka a drain snake) & proceeded to locate & hopefully clear the blockage.

He ascertained that the kitchen drain pipes were unaffected & the bathroom, only the WC pipe was affected. While he did locate & clear some roots, the main blockage persisted. He thought that the entry point where the roots had made their way in was further up the pipe, under concrete, further then the drain snake could reach. So we had to order an extension for the snake & in the meantime got a Portable WC (PWC).

Unfortunately, the extra length took it’s time arriving. In the meantime my husband tried an environmentally friendly treatment but this was going to take time, there wasn’t going to be a quick fix, apart from calling a Plumber which was going to be a minimum of a small fortune just to arrive! Which with this type of root blockage can add up to an absolute mega fortune, something we weren’t prepared to do. So in the meantime we were thankful we had the PWC.

Finally, after two weeks & interestingly on the very same day the extra length for the drain snake arrived (we live in a regional area), the treatment had worked! Clearing the blockage with roots dissolved & all back to normal.

Since we have been very grateful for clear drainage pipes!

The lesson in all of this?

This situation had me reflecting upon the blockages that can occur in life despite our best efforts to prevent them happening.

Blockages can take many forms; there can be blockages in relationships, education, career prospects, finances, health, dreams & goals. There can even be spiritual blockages & although we may think we have done everything to prevent this from happening, it can & does happen.

How? Well just like the fine roots of the Jacaranda found tiny weaknesses in the rubber seals of the pipe, somewhere along the way we have allowed a root of discontent to enter our soul. And if allowed to stay, it will grow into a catastrophic blockage!

An example of this was highlighted yesterday as I was chatting with a beautiful woman of God, she was sharing that recently God had showed her that a fine root of discontent had crept into her soul & started to grow. It became obvious in her sudden inability to be happy for a particular person in her life, in fact jealousy had arisen.

Now this lady isn’t normally prone to such jealousies, so it really shocked her. Realising in that moment she needed to take this to the Lord & hand it over to Him, so it didn’t progress into not only a blockage in her relationship with her heavenly Father but also in relationship with this other person.

“Be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.”

1 Peter 5:8 

You see fine roots of discontent can creep in even before we realise it, just like the Jacaranda’s fine roots had into the drainage pipe.

And such blockages often show themselves at the most inappropriate times & when we least expect them!

At the time our drain became blocked we were expecting visitors to arrive for a stay over visit! Thankfully their plans changed at the last minute. Phew! 

May we all echo what the Apostle Paul had learnt;

“…I have learned to be content [and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy] regardless of my circumstances.”

Philippians  4:11 Amp

& may we;

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5: 18 NLT

Do you have any emotional or spiritual blockages my friend that you need help in clearing? God is always available & He totally understands.

Until next time,

Jennifer

You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

or in Prayer

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