Potholes

A pothole in the road on the way to work the other day.  "Repaired" with a sense of humor.

Potholes become common in the northern areas this time of year.  It's almost a rite of winter for our roads to develop potholes.  They occur because of a combination of poor road maintenance, changing temperatures, weakened bases, and neglect of the early signs of damage.  If left alone, they get bigger and bigger, more dangerous, more capable of doing greater damage, and harder to fix right.

Our spiritual lives are also susceptible to potholes.  In fact, Satan likes nothing more than creating potholes in our hearts and minds.  He teases us into becoming apathetic and complacent about our spiritual health if we are not careful.  He helps our spiritual temperature go from hot to warm to cold, and can do so in the most seemingly innocuous ways.  When that happens, our spiritual foundation becomes weaker.  Often, we neglect the early signs of the damage to our spiritual being, or put it off as "a phase" that "I'll get over."  That may not happen, and, like the roadway potholes, if left unattended, the potholes of our heart, mind, and spirit will become bigger.  The pothole spiral begins...and it leads only downward. 

Some of the best ways to avoid that kind of pothole is involvement:

• with a church which you attend on a regular basis
• with daily scripture reading
• with prayers, both regularly planned and spontaneous
• with involvement in a small group
• in mentoring a "baby" Christian
• and through serving others.

Bottom Line Thought:  Are you pothole free?  Is there anyone you can help to repair their potholes?