Day Twenty-Five

April 25

This pond…

This pond and I have a beautiful love-hate relationship. Many years ago a neighbor friend gifted it to us. And so the love-hate has had years to settle in to becoming our norm.

The cyclical pattern of scrubbing, filling, scooping, and clarifying… rescrubbing, refilling… is exacerbated by the less than cooperative pond pump.

Every year I fight to get the filter properly cleaned out without breaking anything. I replace the UV purifying bulb and adjust the output a thousand times.

And every year - the pump raises its rebellious head and gives me a run for my money.

This year it’s the fountain mechanism which is clogged in some obscure place - causing the water to disproportionately disperse water flow through some holes and not others. Unfortunately, it’s not just a matter of vigorously scrubbing the fountain head to fix the problem.

And so… we enter the repeated cycle of refilling the pond with more water and trying to contain the water so it’s not spilling up… and out… and over…in places it’s not needed - nor is it wanted.

And so… the pump must be taken apart (again) and each seemingly silly part must be examined and recalibrated if we want to partake in the “love” part of this love-hate thing with the pond.

I’m reminded (again) today about my output - my heart output. My need to continually re-examine every seemingly silly part so that what flows forth is continually being renewed and refreshed by the grace and godliness of God.

The work of the Holy Spirit and my partnership with Him…

Otherwise, I stand to spill forth in places and ways - not needed and not wanted.

I’m reminded that the cycle of grace and forgiveness is ongoing. It’s the life of a Christ-follower.

It’s a love-hate relationship. The sin. The forgiveness. The grace.

It’s the lesson this silly pond teaches me - almost daily.