Leaks

Last summer I opened the cabinet doors under my sink to get a trash bag and noticed the box was soaked halfway to the top.  In consternation, I talked out loud to myself as I quickly removed all the items stored there.  What a mess!

There were rust rings from metal cans and the floor material of the cabinet was swelling and buckling.  I wiped it dry then used the hair dryer to speed complete drying.  I went to WalMart and purchased several small plastic rectangle containers and put the items into them.

That evening my husband found the cause of the leak and repaired it.  The spray attachment in the faucet had worked loose, so every time I used it, water ran down the hose and dripped into the bottom.  I don't know how long this had been going on before I became aware of it.

There are all kinds of leaks that can happen in a house: the toilet, the roof, the windows, the foundation, and water pipes.  Repairing damage done by leaks can be very costly.

People leak too, affecting family and home life. 

• Leaky lips betray a confidence, and friendships shatter.
• Like a toilet tank, our love tank can leak because we allow a spirit of offense to siphon it out.  Allowing our love to grow cold toward others because we're offended drains our love tank.
• Bad-mouthing our mate (or others) in public or private is a major leaky lips problem.  God's Word says "Speak evil of no man", Titus 3:2 (KJV). 
• Leaky lips also talk too much -- sometimes about oneself, sometimes in gossip about others.
• Leaky lips come from careless and undisciplined thoughts.  "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Luke 6:45 (NIV)
• Complaining and contention come from leaky lips.  It's like the annoying drip, drip, drip of a faucet.  Proverbs 27:15 (NIV) says "A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand."  I think guys do this too, but from my observation I think women tend to be more prone to it.

I think of that prayer I frequently pray in Psalm 19:14 (NIV):  "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

I think of Matthew 18:15 (NIV):  "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.  If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.  But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."

Having just come through the Christmas season, I'm reminded of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and how she guarded her lips.  Luke 2:19 records Mary's reaction to all the attention and miraculous happenings surrounding Jesus' birth.  "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."  No wonder God chose her to be the mother of Jesus our Savior!  Her mouth didn't leak.

Home maintenance requires effort.  Our personal and spiritual lives do, too.  "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips."  Psalm 141:3 (NIV)  For all of us I pray a leak-free 2012!

Copyright © 2012 Elaine Beachy