“Hey, Who Pulled the Plug?”

“Sometimes it takes hitting that rock bottom to realize you’re done descending and it’s time to rise…”

Mandy Hale

Part of growing up involves learning stuff we think we should have known earlier but are only getting around to figuring out AND not blaming ourselves for what we did not know. When our kids were little we usually went to the beach on vacation. Eager beavers that we were we’d often end up at our destination before we could get into our rental.

We’d find some place to park and head immediately to the beach. One summer we arrived at high tide. The next morning, the tide had receded. One of our littles said, “Hey, who pulled the plug?” The only body of water that he knew of that acted like the ocean was the bathtub. It was a logical question for a three year old.

The truth is, there is stuff we just cannot know until we know it. Like the way our life is like the ocean, or a bathtub, depending on our viewpoint. Sometimes it feels like a mysterious hand pulls the plug and our joy drains from us. We lose hope and confidence. We doubt that anything will ever feel right or normal again.

This is life. Psalm 130 (you can look it up or wait until tomorrow when I post it in the blog) talks about this. It gives us an example of a group of people who feel like God pulled the plug. But it ends with “right remembering” - that inevitably God restores and rebuilds.

So when we’re feeling like we are at the end of our rope, let’s push off the bottom and kick our feet in an act of solidarity with a God whose intention is to eventually make things right. We wait. We paddle. We try to rise as an act of faith.