Romans 11:34-36 – "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (ESV)

Recently, I fixed the shower by attaching a new shower head to the flexible hose that comes from the taps. This was no big deal as I am a practical-minded person.

More recently, however, I noticed that the screw-fit connector to the pipe was a bit leaky, so to make the connection water-tight I used thin, white tape that plumbers wrap around threaded fittings as a sealant.

It stopped the shower handle from leaking, so, off I went. But over the next few days, I sensed that the water pressure in the shower was definitely less than it used to be. When I investigated the cause, I found that a piece of the white tape had found its way over the end of the handle obstructing the flow of water inside. This was fixed easily, but to my chagrin, I found that the water flow was still too slow for me to be content.

Some days later, when I had had enough of avoiding the issue, I discovered that the rubber restrictor, used to save water, had deformed and squashed up inside, becoming too effective in its role. So, armed with a hole-punch I enlarged the holes and now I have a proper jet-stream shower. Whoopee!

So, what is the point of my little vignette?

I was prompted to recognize that the shower head was an analogy for my life. I had allowed potentially good stuff to block and restrict the flow of God through my life. Now during Lent, I am attempting to allow God to remove the restrictors to allow His free flow in and through my life.

What is blocking your relationship and dialogue with Jesus today? Maybe nothing — maybe everything. Maybe it is time to sit still and ask God to bring His presence, peace, and comfort to release us from our preoccupations elsewhere and allow His grace to flow.

Prayer: Lord, You are our God, and we worship You. We claim the grace that You offer freely, and ask that You forgive us. May Your Holy Spirit move unhindered through us, unblocking any unhelpful, preconceived ideas of Who You are and what You are willing to do through us and with us. May we see and hear You more clearly to walk with You today. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.