As a man born and raised in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, of course I own a boat… which I typically use exactly three times per year:
- A two-hour test-fish on one of the area lakes just prior to MANCAMP to make sure the boat works properly.
- One day on Long Lake near Park Rapids at Pinehaven Christian Assembly as part of the manly MANCAMP activities.
- One week on a series of lakes in Itasca County which have earned “favorite” status as a result of two decades of “research.”
Last Saturday was the day I had scheduled for boat preparation and Step One. MANCAMP is next weekend.
I was up and at it at approximately 0700 hours. All was going well: the batteries were fully charged overnight, the taillights on the trailer were fully-operational after only minor cleaning of the connection at the tow vehicle, and I was all set to drain the old gas from last year, check trailer tire pressure, wheel bearing status, and a few other details.
At approximately 0800 hours, my lovely wife appeared in the boat preparation area looking like she had just exited the shower.
“I know you had plans for today,” she said as looming dread filled the air, “but (here it comes) the tub won’t drain and there is water on the bathroom floor.”
The morning sun shone a little less brightly.
Sure enough, the lack of water drainage in the downstairs bathroom was due to failure of the Sewage Ejector Pump.
For those of you who know what that is, I need not explain any further. For those of you who do not know what that is, I assure that replacement of said item is every bit as exciting, glamorous, and fun as the name implies.
So, after checking the Menard’s website for availability of the part, it was off on the 30-mile journey to Mankato from my home. I quickly found the item and a few other accessories I thought would be needed and headed to check-out. The young lady at the cash register was a pleasant person I’d met before. When she gave me the “Have a nice day,” I mentioned I would be installing the item in my cart rather than going fishing.
She eyed it knowingly and said, “Maybe you can go fishing next weekend.”
I assured her it wouldn’t take long to replace.
“Maybe tomorrow,” she said.
As it turned out, actual replacement took about one hour –despite a few challenges I shall refrain from enumerating here but which could not have been overcome without equal parts prayer for my attitude and divine intervention.
Coupled with about 90 minutes travel time and 20 minutes for a second shower of the day, the boat was in the lake and I was fishing by 3:00 p.m. (Military time is no longer applicable once fishing has commenced.) And, the bonus of the day was that the Kinship Radio staff was meeting at a board member’s house on that very lake for a late-summer get-together.
It was a very enjoyable time, the boat ran perfectly, and later in the day, I actually caught a fish.
But here’s the deal: Things like failure of that pump happen every day. They especially happen when you have a ministry with eight full-power stations and 14 translators. Other ministries and churches and anyone who accomplishes anything at all has to deal with breakdowns and hang-ups and hassles all the time. It’s part of life in this broken-down, fallen world. Sometimes fixing those things is dirty and stinky and unpleasant, but we do not grow weary in doing good. (Galatians 6:9)
We have the choice when challenges arise on how we deal with them. We can throw up our hands and resign ourselves to being fishers of men next weekend or tomorrow, or we can remember that we serve an amazing, glorious, omnipotent God who is able to accomplish INFINITELY MORE than we can even ask or imagine –even winning the battle with a sewage ejector attitude– and we can praise Him when it all turns out just like He planned!
Today’s Praise
Ephesians 3:20
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ” (NLT)
Photo courtesy of Pixabay. (Not an actual Sewage Ejector Pump.)
You should fish more often.
Agreed.