Working Out the Kinks

I became a watering girl that summer.

Not because my black thumb suddenly turned green, but because my husband Brad had ordered a heap of mulch, and I was determined to not have a lame, mulch-focused landscaped section of our house.

No sir-eee!

Mulch should be the accessory, not the main feature. My opinion.

So, in response to the mulch mountain, I drove my spontaneous little self to the gardening store and bought us some new bushes, a few flowers, and a tree. And I quickly learned that once all of said planty-purchases were in the ground, they required… gasp… maintaining so they could take root. 

Totally cool… I thought, as I strapped on my big girl panties... I can do this!

So, I became a watering girl. My sunny days began that summer with a garden hose in hand. And I loved it. The birds sang melodies in all their chirpy cuteness and the plants responded with claps of gratitude. (I seriously think they clapped… in their own way. Moving on…)

Early one morning I unwound the hose and watered our small cucumber garden. Then I headed toward a few thirsty plant-friends in the back of the lawn along the fence. As I began to water, the flow trickled to a stop.

I looked up and spied the water-stopping nemesis. A kink in the hose.

So frustrating.

There was plenty of water. It just couldn’t flow because the hose had flipped and kinked.

I tried to flap it out from where I was across the yard, but this kink was a good bit down the line. It required that I drop everything and address it. Once the kink was fixed, the water flowed smoothly, and the rest of my plants got their drinks.

What a picture of faith. 

Just like a hose is connected to a water source, our souls are connected to the Living Water – Jesus. And though, as believers, we’re always connected to Him and always have access to the spiritual refreshment and nourishment our souls need, there are times when kinks happen and the flow stops.

I can think of a few times when, just like the hose, I flipped and kinked up the flow. Can you relate?

Our kinks come in all shapes and sizes. You and I get flipped over by disappointments, unmet expectations, other people, or simply by our own attitudes, unbelief, fears, behaviors, rebellion, or unhealthy emotions.

How can you and I work out the kinks of our circumstances and relationships? We can depend on the strength of God instead of our own. Go to Him in prayer. Ask for grace. Say we’re sorry. Align our lives to the teachings of the Bible. Yield to His Spirit.

The biggest of all kinks, however, is our own sin.

Pastor Timothy Keller said it this way; “The sin that is most destructive in your life right now is the one you are most defensive about."

Ouch. Big kink. Right?

How can we work out the kinks of our sin? By confession. 

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10, ESV)

“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.” (James 4:17)

Got a few sin kinks? Sure you do. We all do. Some might stem from blatant rebellion to God’s will, while others might be simply NOT doing something you know you ought to do. Regardless, if you and I want to have a right relationship with God, we must deal with sin honestly. Nothing can separate us from God’s love, but sin sure can stop the flow of us experiencing the power of His peace, grace, strength, and joy.

We heard it in the sermon this week: Confession leads to freedom.

Freedom from guilt, torment and deceit.

Freedom for protection, understanding and joy. 

Freedom to move forward. 

The Lord is all about smoothing out the kinks of our sin through the finished work of Jesus. The Anglican theologian Richard Sibbes summed up this good news beautifully when he said, “There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.”

I. Am. So. Thankful.

What would it look like to let the grace of God work out your kinks today?

Dear Lord, I'm so thankful Your mercy is greater than my sin. Please forgive me for __________ . You know my heart and You know my ways. Cover me fresh with grace today so I can experience Your joy, strength, understanding, protection and peace.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

~ Gwen Smith is an author, speaker, co-founder of Girlfriends in God and host of the Graceologie podcast.