Parable of the Kinked Water Hose
Hebrews 12:1 (NLT) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.....
While treating my lawn to kill springtime weeds using a hose end sprayer, I pulled the water hose towards the far corner of my lawn spraying as I went along. When I reached the far corner, the water flow suddenly reduced to a trickle. Looking back along the length of the water hose, I could see four kinks in the hose.
I laughed to myself because this kinking occurred while I was thinking about a message on "How to Run Your Race" using the above text from Hebrews Chapter 12. I thought, "This kinking of the water hose looks like occasions in life when energy and effectiveness become restricted."
The only solution to the problem was to walk back down the length of the long water hose to remove each kink, one-by-one. Every "unkinking" afforded a greater flow of water.
I thought more about restrictions (kinks) in the hose and in life. What caused the kinks? After all, four kinks in a water hose were a lot of kinks even for a cheap water hose! What are the causes of reduction in personal vitality and effectiveness in life?
So I diagnosed the conditions:
1. This particular water hose had been left outside during the entire winter season. It was a decent quality hose when I bought it a couple of years ago. Because of a lack of proper care and storage, the water hose was degraded and had become weaker.
2. The water hose had been curled up behind my house for more than five months since I last used it. Some points along the hose were sharply folded. When I pulled it out, attached the sprayer, turned on the water at full strength, and put a demand on it to function at 100% capacity, it was as if the water hose said, "Bryan, you haven't taken care of me. You left me out here in the snow, cold and ice of winter. Now you want me to operate normally? C'mon man!"
Hebrews 12:1 reads, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.....
We have both grace from God and responsibilities to God, and ourselves. Like proper care for a water hose, we have the responsibility to monitor and correct conditions in our lives. The best part of all this is that everything God requires, He provides!
Look to Jesus! He is your victorious example. He is the "Champion who initiates and perfects our faith!"
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