Getting Rid of the Source

In this episode of Travel With a Purpose, I a memorable story from Camp Bee following a devastating winter storm, when a broken water pipe taught a lesson far greater than plumbing repairs. 

 Discover how we often spend our time treating the symptoms of life's problems while overlooking their true source. Through practical illustrations, biblical insight, and encouragement from God's Word, you'll be challenged to let Him transform your heart so that lasting change can begin from the inside out. Join us for this timely reminder that when God changes the source, everything else begins to change.

Transcript

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Hello, fellow co-journers. I'm your host, Dave Light, and welcome to Travel with a Purpose, a podcast designed to keep co-journers and friends informed, entertained, and inspired. One of the lessons we've learned over the years is that sometimes we spend a lot of time treating the symptoms of a problem instead of finding its source. During February 2021, East Texas and Camp B were hit by a powerful winter storm. We received several inches of snow, followed by days of freezing temperature. And like many people, we thought we had weathered the storm pretty well. Then we discovered water one morning throughout the entire sojourner office. What a mess. In places that water was over an inch deep. We opened the door and water ran out. Wow. Well what happened was one of the water pipes in the office had frozen. It burst and sent water across the building. We'd grabbed mops, buckets, and towels and began cleaning up the mess. We'd mop up water only to watch more appear. No matter how hard we worked and we were working hard. The office stayed flooded. Well finally, we traced the water back to the source. We found a broken pipe, and we repaired it. And only then could we begin cleaning up the damage. Once the source was removed, the problem could finally be solved. That experience reminds me of something much more important in our spiritual lives. We often spend our energies trying to change our actions while overlooking the attitudes that produce them. We fight angry words while allowing bitterness to remain. We struggle with selfish behavior while holding on to pride. We try to stop complaining without cultivating gratitude. We're busy mopping the floor while the broken pipe is still pouring water into the house. Well Jesus taught us that the source is the heart. Listen to his words in Matthew chapter 15, verse 19. For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander. The outward actions began long before anyone else sees them. They begin within. He said in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 31 and 32, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice. Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Notice that Paul doesn't simply tell us to speak or act differently. He tells us to become different people, replace bitterness with kindness, replace anger with compassion, replace malice with forgiveness. And when the source changes, the fruit changes. As travelers, we know that preventive maintenance is always easier than repairing major damage later. We inspect tires before they fail, we service the engine before it breaks down, we repair a small leak before it becomes an expensive repair. Well our spiritual lives deserve the same attention. Instead of asking, How can I stop this behavior? Perhaps we should ask what attitude is feeding it? When God transforms the heart, our actions begin to reflect his character. David understood this. Remember when he prayed, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me? That's part of Psalms chapter fifty one. It's verse ten. He didn't ask God to simply improve his behavior. He asked God to transform the source. Well, as you travel this week, whether you're crossing the country or simply driving across town, remember the lesson from that broken water pipe it can't be. Lasting solutions come when we address the source of the problem, not merely the symptoms. Well, thank you for listening to this podcast. I invite you to subscribe and share it with others. I'm your host, Dave Leighton, and remember we glorify God as together we travel with a purpose. Happy sojourning.