Holes

This week I once again set up our backyard pool which we purchased at Target three years ago. After 7 years of "interesting" and "terrifying" experiences with our pools, this one has been trouble free - well, less trouble free. Anyways, I get it set up and proceed to start filling it with water. When it was about 18 inches deep I noticed that the dirt in one spot below the pool was wet. As I checked the vinyl pool I noticed about 3 inches under the pool a tiny pin hole with water spraying out! Fortunately I was able to apply a small patch which appears to be holding.

The pin hole was undetectable until I added water - the pressure revealed the weakness. If I had ignored it and continued filling the pool and thus increasing the pressure it would have likely split open and the whole pool would have been lost. (I know this by a previous experience!) Had the pin hole been further underneath the pool I might have noticed it too late.

A couple weeks now into my sabbatical and I have noticed a number of "pin hole" sized "leaks" in my life. These are not huge tragic weaknesses but small, hidden, weaknesses left unnoticed for too long. They include ways I waste time, small attitude problems, impatience over unimportant issues, lack of attentiveness to conversations, selfish protection of routines that could be more flexible, discontent, harboring small hurts..... Alot of "pin hole" sized problems can add up to big troubles and left uncared for will become very noticeable eventually. As I have had time away from "work" I have realized that busy days can be a very effective cover up for my weaknesses and sins.

I Timothy 4:16 says "pay close attention to yourself and your teaching; persevere in these things ...." Learning to take notice, bringing them before the Lord, doing some daily patch work, refilling on the fresh water of the Spirit - small daily habits that bring health and life and growth.

There is a tree over our pool that drops small yellow flowers into the water everyday. Each morning I use the skimming net to clean it up - skip a day and the job gets big but on a daily basis it is a small matter. So in this day I'll pay attention to the small "leaks" in my life -  the Lord is good at repairing and mending and renewing.