Learning from a Tiny Black Hose

Whenever I fill a stock tank, I can hear the soft, gentle voice of Joan Higgins saying, "Oh those cattle like that fresh water!" Her voice of experience and her example of faithful, diligent care of her cattle provides a living, breathing encouragement to me. I have told her that I can be assured she is one person who understands the challenges of cattle tending. 

Joan Higgins at the 120th
Anniversary for Ralston Baptist
Church

Clogged and Frozen

                Over many years, planning became an essential in my life. Whether I taught third graders or a girls Sunday School class or assisted in the care for my father following his stroke – a constant thread in those diverse scenarios of my life remained a semblance of planning in all I did. However, during Dad’s care, I learned the truth of the frequently-used adaptation from Robert Burns’ poetry, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Many interpret it, No matter how much you plan, if it can go wrong, it will go wrong.

                Nevertheless, I still plan. Knowing that frigidly cold weather was approaching, I purchased a replacement de-icer for the stock tank. I secured it in place. Setting a kitchen timer, I began filling the stock tank with water. Before dark, it was “lip” full.

                The morning following the bitterly cold night, after feeding the cats, I walked to the stock tank. To my chagrin, the tank was near empty and the frost-free hydrant would not turn on. I audibly asked God to help me to know what to do. In an effort to accurately portray the account, I did not request with a calm voice of faith but with words tense with desperation,

I had learned by experience, with an explanation from Bob and Joe Hightower during the winter of 2012/2013, to securely press the handle of the hydrant completely down. I was certain I had done that.

                As I returned to the house, I could hear Dad’s statement, “In cold weather, water is more important than hay.” The cattle had hay but very little water. I continued to ask God for wisdom.

                I grabbed a small hair dryer and returned to the stock tank and its frozen hydrant. Unplugging the de-icer, I plugged in the hair dryer and began trying to thaw. Somehow it seemed some thawing was taking place.

                Earlier as I walked, I remembered my brother-in-law instructing me to shake all water out of the small hose that Dad had attached to the spout of the hydrant. It crossed my mind that maybe I hadn’t shaken out all the water. I usually followed meticulously my brother-in-law’s instruction, but there was always room for a mistake or overlooking an important facet.

           

     I aimed the hair dryer onto the small black portion of hose. Soon frozen, cylindrical pieces of ice retaining the shape of the tiny hose shot out into the tank. I switched off the hair dryer and lifted the lever handle of the hydrant. A glorious stream of water began flowing out of the tiny black hose and the refilling  of the livestock tank commenced.

                I walked back to the house to inform Mother, who had her prayers for a working hydrant answered, that the tank was successfully being filled. I thought of how the little black hose represents our lives as believers. We are merely a conduit, just a channel, for God’s power to flow through. The 36-inch small black hose would be worthless unless connected to the water source. In the same way, unless our lives are vitally connected first with Jesus through our faith in what He did for us on the cross, we are as useless as that piece of hose apart from the hydrant.

                As I approached the gate, I thought how often we, as believers, are allied with Jesus through our trust in Him alone to forgive our sins and empower us to live successfully. Yet just like the little black hose, our lives get frozen. John 7:38 records the declaration of Jesus, The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have rivers of living water flowing from his heart. The powerful flow of Jesus, who was described as the water of life, is blocked by our choices fueled by disobedience.

Retaining bitterness instead of offering forgiveness stops His working through us. Holding onto wrongs done to us freezes His effective flow in our lives. Only the warmth of His love pervading our hurts reestablishes His use of us just as the heat from the hair dryer thawed the frozen water inside the little black hose making it usable again.

Behavior and habits can inhibit His impact through our daily lives. When the Holy Spirit within us makes us aware of His desire to rid us of these, our resistance results in ineffective, or even negative, influence on those we love most.

Many illustrations from the Christian walk can apply as one thinks about the blocked little black hose that normally fills the livestock tank. One final, but perhaps the most prolific example of blockage or gridlock in our lives may be allowing the insignificant and unnecessary to become the driving force in our lives. How quickly these inconsequential demands on our time rob us of the vital moments in Bible reading, prayer, and a needful reconnection with the Lord each day!

The little black section of hose can be an effective teacher as we recall its needfulness to effectively fill the stock tank. We also recall how its frozen state rendered it unusable. May those of us who are called by the name of Christ choose to align our lives so His love and power flow from His heart through us to those we encounter during the year of 2018.